Rescue Me
by MeeLee
Summary: [COMPLETE] [HoroRen] The horrors of war have finally broken Ren's already fragile spirit, and now only Horohoro can help him heal. But after what Ren has experienced, letting another into his heart won't be so easy. R&R.
1. I

**A/N: **I suppose there really is a first for everything. As such, this story just happens to be my first SK fic as well as my first shounen-ai attempt in any category. Before I had never actively advocated yaoi though I never opposed it either, but after discovering the HoroRen pairing and the wealth of great fanfics available on the topic, I have been converted. If anyone is interested, the site AZIMANIACS has some great HoroRen fanart, CG-ed to perfection.

I must confess that I actually watch the American version of Shaman King, though I have read a few volumes of the manga (and once I figure out how IRC works, I'll be able to get the others. In this regard I'd appreciate any help you can give me because when it comes to computers I'm still stuck in the Stone Age…). However, since Horohoro is just an _awesome_ name I had to base the fic on the Japanese version. Therefore, sorry if any of the facts are inaccurate, and as for the little tweaks in conversation, I snagged what I could off those fanfics by people who actually watched the Japanese version, so if I used something like "Ainu-baka" or "bocchama" wrong, please be kind enough to tell me so that I can change it. Nobody's perfect, after all.

Oh yeah, one last note: whenever you see a number in the middle of the text, it's _not_ a typo; it's a reference to a footnote that'll be at the end of the chapter. If the footnote's missing, tell me so that I can put it up; chances are I'll forget at least once. It's just the way I am, sorry. I would also not recommend skipping the footnotes; I did a lot of research into the Ainu culture for this story and I'd like some appreciation for my effort.

As always, reviews are welcome and flames are ignored.

Thanks to all the other HoroRen writers who inspired me to write a story of my own. Kudos to all of you for great fics!

If I forgot anything in this A/N (the A/N's in the first chapters of all my stories are always super-long), I'll put it in a future one.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King.

Rescue Me

**BEGIN**

The sun was setting, washing the sky a brilliant blood-red, a few wisps of smoky cloud chasing each other across the fading horizon, just as always. And at his bedroom window he sat, peering through the clear glass at the single winding road snaking into the melting light, passing into shadow even as the sky darkened and twilight settled in. Just as always.

Twenty-two-year-old Usui Horokeu swallowed hard while running a careless hand backward through his sky-blue hair. He was tall and lean almost to the point of emaciation due to the simple life he had chosen to lead these past four tumultous years. He wore a simple white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, and the only hint of his Ainu background was the swirling design intricately sewn into the matanpushi1 he had secured around his forehead so as to keep his bangs out of his eyes.

The door opened with a slight creak but Horohoro did not turn for he already knew who it was. Young Usui Pilika stood quietly at the threshold for a few moments, observing her brother with silent respect. It was not until the last of the reflected sunlight had faded from Horohoro's midnight-black eyes that she spoke. "It's been four years," she said in a soft voice that was almost toneless. "Maybe you should just come home."

Horohoro sighed, having had this conversation before. "He's coming back," he said. "I can feel it. Any moment now, he'll be here."

Pilika wished again as on so many other nights that she could swallow her next words, but they would not be new to her brother either. "He never promised anything," she whispered. "He hasn't written or called or anything. How do we even know if he's alive?"

His reply was immediate, almost automatic. "Because he is," Horohoro said, turning to look straight at his little sister. Almost instinctively she averted her gaze from his resolute black eyes. "Because if anyone can survive this war," he continued in a firm voice, "it's Tao Ren."

Pilika refused to meet his gaze and instead became absorbed in the floorboards at her feet. She felt the heat sting her eyes as she recalled the memories, but quickly suppressed her tears as she had always done as she finally looked up. "I…" She swallowed hard. "I hope you're right, Oniichan. For your sake as well as his." She turned slowly and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her.

Horohoro watched her go before turning back to the window. The road was now completely lost in the darkness that was night. Horohoro sighed. Ren would not be returning tonight.

He slid off the bedstead on which he had been precariously balanced and sank onto the mattress, springs groaning under his weight, however light he was. He closed his eyes and allowed his head to sink almost below his knees as he remembered.

1 A matanpushi is an embroidered headband that in old times was worn by Ainu men. In the modern day, only women wear matanpushi. (A/N: No, Horohoro is _not_ a woman.)


	2. II

**A/N: **Just a heads-up: this chapter and the next will all be Horohoro's memories.

I'm glad it's spring break, else I probably wouldn't be updating _nearly_ as fast as I am now. Sorry to disappoint y'all, but don't expect the next chapter anytime soon.

Oh, and before anyone asks, I don't have anything against any of the SK characters. I think anyone who rants and raves and randomly bashes some character he/she doesn't understand is not only immature but also stupid. If there seems to be any abuse of characters in this story (such as Manta getting kicked around in this chapter), it is only there to further the plot. Besides, I happen to think Manta's awesome.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Some of you seem to think that I use the old method of write one chapter, post it, write another chapter, post it. Other authors do this and I've tried it in the past but it hasn't worked well for me, so I usually (as in this case) write at least half of the entire story before beginning to post. Therefore, I appreciate those of you who took the time to tell me where you thought this story should go and how the plot should function, but I assure you, if I didn't have confidence in the plot of this story as _I_ thought it should be, this story would not be here. I appreciate your feedback, but I do things my own way.

Again, forgive any mistakes in conversation. Thanks to everyone for their supportive comments.

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER II**

"Damn you, Ainu-baka! How many times have I told you not to wake me up so early?"

Eighteen-year-old Usui Horokeu sprinted down the hallway, unable to hold back his laughter as the glinting blade of the kwan dao slashed horizontally, barely grazing the topmost wisps of his blue hair. "It's not my fault!" he panted as he darted around the corner. "If I didn't stop your snoring somehow you would've woken everybody in the whole damn town!"

Eighteen-year-old Tao Ren was in hot pursuit, golden eyes gleaming with a furious light. "You are so dead, you little—_ack!_" Horohoro turned, unsure of whether or not it was Ren who had cried out because he had distinctly heard two voices. The young Chinese shaman was sprawled face-down on the floor, still clutching his kwan dao, and inches away lay little Oyamada Manta, looking quite dazed.

Immediately Horohoro burst into laughter. Ren had until now been the only person Horohoro knew who had not yet tripped over the inoffending Manta, who seemed to have the bad habit of always popping up in everyone's path. Ren cursed softly in Chinese as he struggled back to his feet, unceremoniously kicking Manta away and glaring venomously at Horohoro, who was still chuckling. "If you tell anyone about this, I will personally neuter you," he hissed.

Quickly Horohoro raised both hands in front of him in a defensive position. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said. He could not hold back a snicker though, and was only saved from decapitation when Asakura Yoh appeared in the doorway.

The brown-haired shaman blinked at his two friends, one backed against the wall, the other prepared to slit his throat. He sighed. "It's _way_ too early for arguments, guys," he said, shaking his head. "Oh, and…where's Manta?"

"Right here," Manta piped up.

Yoh turned. "Where—_ack!_" This time both Ren and Horohoro started laughing.

"Ren." Horohoro and Ren looked up from their card game as Tao Jun poked her head in the doorway, followed closely by her kyonshi Lee Bailong. The young twenty-three-year-old Chinese daoshi stepped resolutely into Horohoro's bedroom, traditional qipao rustling softly with every movement she made. She immediately took the rolled-up newspaper from under her arm and handed it to her brother. He took it without a word, flipped it open, and skimmed the articles for a brief moment. Peering carefully, Horohoro could distinguish nothing but a confused blend of complicated Chinese characters. He frowned. Over the past few weeks Ren and Jun had taken a sudden interest in Chinese newspapers, though Horohoro had heard no rumors.

Abruptly Ren folded the newspaper again, turned to his sister, and said something in Mandarin. Jun responded in kind, and the two siblings conversed quietly for a moment. When it appeared they had reached a concensus on whatever topic they were discussing, Ren got to his feet. "I have to go," he said to Horohoro, courteously returning to his smooth if slightly accented Japanese.

"Where?"

"That's none of your business."

Horohoro glared. "Fine, have it your way," he said, and then sneered. "But in order to leave, you'll have to win me."

At this, Ren matched his leer. Bending down, he cast his hand neatly onto the floor. Horohoro's eyes sprang wide open as Ren smirked. "Full house," he said. "That means you're doing my laundry for the rest of the week." Ignoring the Ainu's spluttering protests, both Taos exited the room.

Umemiya Ryunosuke poked half-heartedly at his breakfast. "I wonder where they are…?" he said to no one in particular.

Yoh shrugged in his usual nonchalant way. "Maybe they slept in," he said.

"Or maybe they're planning some conspiracy against us," Chocolove suggested.

Horohoro crossed his arms and closed his eyes. The last few days they had been seeing less and less of Tao Ren and Tao Jun; the siblings were spending more and more time behind locked doors discussing foreign topics in a foreign language. The newspapers were making increasingly frequent appearances yet no one but the Taos and an uncooperative Lee Bailong were able to read them. For some unknown reason the notion that Ren was keeping secrets from him, however frequently that had occurred in the past, irked Horohoro to new levels.

Usui Pilika turned a worried eye to her brother. "Oniichan?" she said. "You okay?"

Horohoro sighed, opened his eyes, and rose. "I'm going to go get them," he said, and walked out of the room before anyone could raise a protest.

A few moments of walking found him standing before the entrance to Ren's bedroom. Pressing a careful ear to the closed door, he could barely distinguish voices: Ren's, Jun's, Bailong's…and a score of others he did not recognize. Frowning, he tried the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. Taking a deep breath he kicked the door open.

Several pairs of eyes turned immediately to stare at him. Ren, Jun, and Bailong were all present as he had predicted, but Horohoro frowned upon seeing the three trim Chinese soldiers, one sitting at the small table and the other two standing, all bearing the notorious emblem of the Tao clan. Laid out neatly on the table was a detailed map of China, outlined in some spots with red marker. When the seated soldier saw Horohoro staring at the map, he immediately leaned forward and rolled it up.

Turning to Ren and Jun, he whispered something in Mandarin. Ren shook his head. The soldier then gave Ren a meaningful look; the golden-eyed shaman in turn passed his gaze to his sister. Jun turned from them and approached Horohoro.

"You can't be here," she said in a low voice so as not to interrupt the conversation that had resumed behind her between Ren and the soldier. "This is…family business."

A lump had formed in Horohoro's throat for some reason and he swallowed. "You're…late for breakfast," he said. It sounded incredibly stupid but he had no idea what else to say.

Jun smiled sadly. "Yes, I know," she said, "And we're sorry, but it's very important. Can you please tell Yoh and the others that…we'll join them later?"

Horohoro shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're not going to tell me what this is about, are you?" he said in a voice laced with bitterness.

At this, Jun straightened. "I'm sorry, Horohoro," she said, "But this is strictly a Tao affair. Please don't tell anyone about what you saw here." She backed up then and placed a hand on the doorknob. Horohoro looked up and saw Ren watching him with a look that was almost…apologetic. Then the door shut abruptly in his face. He heard the lock click, and running a hand through his hair he shook his head and walked away.


	3. III

**A/N: **I apologize if this chapter is rather long. If I had decided to divide it into further chapters, they would have been frustratingly short. I suppose I just ended up choosing the lesser of two evils.

Oh yeah, apparently some people wonder why Ren is always associated with peaches. Just a little headsup: "tao" in Mandarin literally translates into "peach." Of course, Ren's surname, correctly spelled, is actually "dao." Lian, the second part of his name that corresponds to Ren, can translate either into "lotus" or "connection," depending on which character you use. But yeah. It's completely irrelevant to the story but it might be interesting to know.

Just in case you don't read the footnotes at the bottom, the names of all places in China (including provinces, cities, etc) are all fictional. I absolutely suck at Chinese geography, and besides I didn't want to sound biased toward one specific region.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed this story! I know it probably doesn't sound like it, but I do read every single one of your comments. I'd write you replies, but then that would make my A/N's even longer than they are now, and right now their length is already pretty unbearable. If you really want me to reply to one of your reviews, just send me an email. I check every day so I'll respond really quick.

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER III**

At dawn's first peak the following morning Horohoro bounded cheerfully into Ren's bedroom with the usual intention of endangering his life by waking the young Tao. However, he was utterly astonished to find Ren's bed empty and neatly made. Bewildered, he turned and made his way toward the kitchen where his senses picked up the suspicious scent of food. Walking in, he nearly choked with shock when he saw Ren flipping pancakes on the stove. Jun was setting the table.

For a moment Horohoro could not even form words. "_R-Ren?_" he cried, voice almost hysterical. "What the hell are you doing?"

Ren turned. "Morning, Horo," he said in a strangely good-natured voice. "What's it look like? I'm making breakfast." And then he smiled. Immediately Horohoro was put on his guard, for this smile was not the usual smug grin characteristic of Tao Ren; it was far more benign, far more friendly, for more…human.

He framed his next words carefully. "Ren, is there something wrong?"

To his surprise the Chinese boy merely shrugged. "Guess I'm just in a good mood today," he said. "Finally decided to get off my lazy ass and get some work done." He turned off the burner and began sliding the pancakes onto nearby plates.

Horohoro frowned. "Ren, tell me—"

"Wow, something smells great!" Yoh entered the kitchen with a grin, stretching as he sniffed at the air. "Are those pancakes I smell?"

"Yeah, my specialty," Ren said, again with that alarmingly cheerful smile. "They're almost done. Where's everybody else?"

"Whoa, Ren," Ryu said as he strode to the table, followed closely by everyone else. "I didn't know you could cook!"

"Well, would you look at that," Kyouyama Anna said. "So the great Tao Ren does know something other than kung-fu and insults."

Manta had already devoured half of his pancake. "Fantastic!" he cried.

"These are great!" Chocolove agreed, syrup running down his chin. "Where'd you learn to make these so well, Ren?"

Both Ren and Jun laughed. "Secret recipe," Ren said with a wink.

"Passed down in our family for generations," Jun added. "You just wait and see what we have in store for you for lunch!" Everyone laughed.

Horohoro did not join in their mirth. He was watching Ren with the precision of a wolf watching a lamb stray too far from the fold. Something was wrong.

By the time the sun set into the distant horizon, Usui Horokeu could no longer hold back. Yoh and the others were out for a night on the town, so no one hindered him as he walked down the hallway and approached Ren's room. He stopped at the doorway and peered inside. Ren was seated alone at the window, looking aimlessly out at the night. He turned upon Horohoro's arrival and again smiled.

"Hi, Horohoro," he said. "Didn't you go out with Yoh and the others?"

Horohoro shrugged. "I…wasn't interested."

"I see." Ren turned back to the window and said no more.

For a moment silence reigned in the room. At long last Horohoro shuffled his feet a bit, shoved his hands into his pockets, and spoke. "Ren…" He paused. "Ren, what's going on?"

The Chinese shaman turned. "What do you mean?"

Horohoro shook his head. "Don't play stupid with me," he said. "You get a visit from your father's minions yesterday and this morning you're suddenly the world's greatest humanitarian? Ren, you don't _do_ nice. There's something wrong, and I want to know what it is."

He felt a strange relief when he saw Ren's eyes narrow, taking on their familiar dangerous glint. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Ren said in a low voice.

"Yeah, and I'm Chinese," Horohoro said. "Ren, I want to know what's wrong, and I want to know _now._"

"Nothing is wrong," Ren said through gritted teeth. "There's nothing to know."

Something snapped in Horohoro. "What the hell is _wrong _with you?" he suddenly yelled. "Why do you always have to be so goddamn dense? I'm trying to _help_ you!"

Ren sprang to his feet. "Don't even start," he snarled. "The last person I need is a half-assed Ainu like you."

Horohoro threw up his hands in frustration. "I don't even know why I put up with you and your damn stubbornness," he cried. "We're supposed to be friends!"

"We are not friends," Ren hissed. "And if you don't get out of my room right now, I'll kill you."

"Oh, not friends?" Horohoro repeated. "Then what were you, just some leech who kept following us around because you thought we felt sorry for you?"

Ren snatched up his kwan dao. "_Kiisama!_" he bellowed, "How dare you—"

"Ren!" The voice stopped the Chinese boy in mid-advance. Both he and Horohoro turned to see Tao Jun and Lee Bailong standing in the doorway. Jun looked far from pleased.

"Put that down," Jun said in a strangely authoritative voice. Ren glared at her but then, to Horohoro's utter surprise, obeyed. His kwan dao fell to the ground with an eerie clang.

Jun then stepped into the room and approached her brother until they were face-to-face. When she spoke, the first few words were in Chinese but upon noticing Horohoro watching them closely, she switched smoothly over to Japanese. "We don't need this right now," she said. "He's trying to help you and you know it."

Ren gritted his teeth, refusing to even glance in Horohoro's direction. "I don't need help," he hissed.

Jun's face softened. "Ren, I know how you feel about this whole thing," she said, confusing Horohoro even further. "But you can't blame _ba_2 for it—"

"_Shut up!_" Horohoro was surprised to see Ren trembling. "He started the whole damn thing—and don't think you're not to blame either! You, me, _ba_, everyone who bears the Tao name—we're the ones to blame!"

"Why do you blame yourself for something you didn't do?" Jun asked quietly.

Ren's voice shook. "Because I'm the heir to our empire," he said, "And as such, I must take responsibility." Then to everyone's surprise, he turned from them all and headed for the door.

"Ren, where are you going?" Horohoro asked in a rather subdued voice.

Ren shoved Bailong rudely out of the way. "Out." He disappeared out the door.

Almost immediately Horohoro turned to the green-haired daoshi, who was watching the spot where her brother had disappeared with a hint of regret. "Jun, what happened?" he asked.

She turned back to him, and he was surprised to find her eyes laced with tears. "Could you leave now, Horo?" she asked. "I…need to be alone for a while." Before Horohoro could reply he was ushered into the hallway by Bailong and the door closed firmly behind him. Frowning, he headed off to his bedroom to shower and sleep.

The following morning, he woke up even earlier than usual. Rubbing his eyes and brushing his bangs out of his face, he sank back onto his pillow and peered up at the ceiling, watching the pink streaks of dawn dance their way across the wooden boards. As an Ainu he was used to waking up early, but even this hour was pushing it.

Horohoro sighed and slowly got out of bed. As he dressed and made a few nonchalant swipes at his hair with a comb, he thought about his argument with Ren the previous night. Part of him was still furious at the utter obstinacy of his friend; he had only wanted to help but had been frightfully rebuked. Another part of him, however, knew that he had to at least partly shoulder the blame because he had lost his temper and confronted Ren about an apparently sensitive subject, as Jun's tears had testified.

Sighing again as he tied on his usual matanpushi, he pushed open his bedroom door and headed quietly down the hallway toward Ren's room. His feet made no sound on the cold wooden floorboards but the pounding of his heart seemed to resound throughout the house. Should he demand an apology or give one? What was he supposed to say to Ren now? He realized suddenly that he had never driven Ren to such anger before; sure, he annoyed the hell out of the other shaman twenty-four hours a day, but both of them knew it was only a mock fury that caused Ren to chase him around all day, kwan dao in hand. The utter rage that Ren had shown the previous night, however, had been different. Horohoro knew this not because of the Tao's trembling voice, the sweat that formed on his forehead, or the way he gnashed his teeth in frustration. He had seen something—hate and fear and a mixture of a million other emotions—all colliding and crashing within Ren's eyes. He had seen those golden eyes pulsing with hurt, and he supposed now was the time for him to banish that pain.

The door to Ren's room was closed, just as he had expected. Horohoro fought the urge to simply shrug, say out loud, "Oh well, he's not here," and turn back. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he opened the door.

The room was empty. Horohoro blinked, realizing instantly that something was horribly wrong. The bed had not been slept in. The desk was void of its usual books and papers. The dresser drawers were all pulled out and the closet was bare. The array of weapons usually stacked neatly in one corner were missing.

"Ren?" Horohoro's voice echoed eerily in the empty room. "Ren?"

There was no reply. Horohoro shook his head violently. This could not be happening. Ren could not have just…left. He had no right—he could not just abandon him!

"Ren, you bastard, this isn't funny!" His voice cracked and he stumbled back a few steps before someone suddenly reached out and steadied him from behind. Instantly he spun around, fist cocked, ready to nail Ren in the nose for playing such a stupid trick—

He stopped short when he came face-to-face with Tao Jun. The daoshi stood tall and resolute, looking down at him with emotionless violet eyes. When she spoke, her voice was steady. "I'm afraid you missed him, Horo," she said.

Horohoro lowered his fist but his voice shook when he spoke. "Where's Ren?"

For a long time Jun did not answer, only peered down at him, eyes dulled with both pity and guilt. At long last, she sighed softly and presented Horohoro with one of the newspapers. Horohoro took it and peered closely at the writing, but snarled upon discovering it was all in Chinese. "Don't bullshit me," he warned, "You know I can't read this."

"Yes, I know," Jun said, taking the paper from him and tapping the photograph on the front page. Horohoro blinked; it was a picture of a tank just topping a grassy hill, flanked by foot soldiers on both sides. All bore the Tao emblem.

"We didn't want to tell you before because we didn't want to get you involved," Jun said softly, "But now that Ren's been…called…I guess you deserve to know." She paused and took a deep breath. "The Tao clan, as you know, is very powerful in China," she said. "We ruled three good-sized provinces: Daoming, Lixin, and Huilan3. We conquered a fourth province, Kaisan, about five years ago. We knew it wouldn't be long before they revolted against us, and that's just what they did, five months ago.

"The leaders of Kaisan were clever. Through underground communications and mass propaganda, they convinced the people of Daoming, Lixin and Huilan to join in their battle against the Taos. The first real battle between us and the combined armies of the four provinces occurred about two months ago."

"That was when you and Ren first got into all these newspapers," Horohoro observed quietly.

"Yes," Jun said. "To all extents and purposes we are evenly matched. The rebels have more men and perhaps a stronger sense of cause, but our military is better-trained and we have many resources at our disposal. For about a month and a half things stood at a stalemate.

"Then about two weeks ago, the rebels launched a massive assault that we were unprepared for. Our forces were driven back to the very borders of Shanjiang—that is, the Tao home province. Our soldiers managed to repel them before they could penetrate into the heart of Shanjiang, but the close call convinced my father that he needed stronger leaders in the military."

"And that's where Ren comes in," Horohoro said.

Jun nodded. "Going to war was the last thing Ren wanted to do," she said. "He hates _ba_ with a passion, and hates working with him even more. However, when Shanjiang was nearly penetrated again, Ren and I both agreed that, for the well-being of the rest of our family, we had to go." At this point she met Horohoro's gaze steadily, eyes so cold that they made him shift uncomfortably. "He was not scheduled to leave until next week," she said in a toneless voice. "I suppose the row you caused last night made him step up his timetable."

At this, Horohoro swallowed hard. "Jun, you know I didn't mean it," he said. "Everything I said last night…I was just trying to help him out…"

"I know, Horo, I know." He looked up to see Jun smiling sadly at him. "Actually perhaps it was good that you had this argument," she said. At Horohoro's confused look she whispered in a barely audible voice, "It'll make it easier to forget us once we're gone…"

"What—Jun, don't say things like that!" Horohoro clenched both his fists. "You and Ren'll be fine, I know it!"

Jun straightened, and he saw the same tears in her eyes once again as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you just don't understand," she said, and handed him back the newspaper. "You can keep this. My boat leaves in an hour, and where I'm going, I won't need it." She turned and raised her voice. "Bailong." Her faithful kyonshi immediately appeared in the doorway. "Let's go," Jun said. Bailong nodded and disappeared. Jun then turned back to Horohoro. "If you want me to," she said, "I can tell Ren that you're sorry."

Horohoro opened his mouth to thank her, to tell her that he would really appreciate it, but then he realized that he had no need to. Instead he stood up straight, looked her directly in the eye, and spoke in a voice that was so firm and resolute that it startled even himself. "Don't bother," he said. "I'll tell him myself when he comes back. When both of you come back." He paused for a moment before making a split-second decision. "I'll stay here so you'll know where to find me."

Jun frowned. "Horo, you don't have to—"

"No, I do," Horohoro said, cutting her off, "Because I'm the one who drove Ren away, and therefore I have to apologize to him in person." He paused. "I ask only one thing though," he said. "Tell Ren that he can't die in this war because then I'll be stuck waiting here forever. And besides…he still hasn't told me where he hid my boxers."

Jun laughed, though a bit hollowly. "You're so optimistic, Horohoro," she said. "It's no wonder Ren is so close to you." She turned from him and stepped out the door and into the hallway, but then she turned. "Take care of yourself, Usui Horokeu."

"Same to you, Jun," he said. "And send my regards to Ren." When she gave no reply, he looked up and saw that she had gone.

2 _Ba_ is Mandarin for "father." Although _die_ is a more formal term, it has not been used since ancient times.

3 To remain unbiased, all place names are solely fictional.


	4. IV

**A/N: **I'm sorry if this chapter is very short, but that means you don't have to spend as much time reading it, right?

Updated because I was feeling good after passing my driver's test. Y'all better watch out because now there's one more teen driver out on the streets for you to worry about.

Ren returns in the next chapter!

Oh yeah, **important fact needed in order to keep writing this fic: **does anyone know the names of Horohoro's various attacks? I haven't watched much of the series so I don't know them. I'd like the names in the Japanese version please, along with whatever description you can give me. If you can tell me a little bit about Ren and Horohoro's respective Oversouls that would be invaluable as well.

Thanks for all the reviews! I haven't had a fic this popular in a while. (Yes, I am a loser.)

I will be posting a HoroRen yaoi one-shot either this week or the next, depending on my schedule and my mood, so keep a lookout for "A Whisper in the Night."

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER IV**

Horohoro raised his head and blinked several times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the complete darkness that had now settled in his lonely room. He had promised Jun that he would stay, and stay he had, waiting patiently and without complaint for four years. The first few months he had attempted to follow the war in what newspapers he could get his hands on, but the ones in Japanese merely gave short briefs on the subject while the Chinese ones were too complex for him to even slightly understand, though he followed the photographs with interest.

At one point, about two years ago, he had chanced upon an image of Tao Ren at the bottommost corner of one of the papers. Ren's face had grown leaner so that his cheekbones now seemed to stand out prominently under his skin, giving him an air of sharp authority. He glared steadily at the camera, expressionless, only his eyes betraying a flash of annoyance or perhaps contempt. The hair falling slightly over his eyes and his skin streaked with dirt gave him the appearance of someone who was more animal than human. Horohoro had shuddered and cast the paper away. Since that day he had refused to look at any more newspapers and had instead resorted to a faint hope and an endless anxiety.

Yoh at first had wanted to organize a "rescue party" to infiltrate China and bring Ren back. Ryu, Manta, Anna, Chocolove, Horohoro and Pilika had all agreed to go with him, along with their respective spirits, but their plans had been foiled when China abruptly cut off all foreign immigration. After that they had had no other option than to wait, and wait they did for about another year. Then things had happened: thoughts changed, priorities shifted, and slowly the little village house began to empty. Chocolove was the first to go, followed a few weeks later by Ryu and Manta. Yoh had insisted on staying but then was forced to tail Anna when she left, so that now only Horohoro and his little sister remained in the empty house. A few months after Anna and Yoh's departure, Pilika had timidly told Horohoro that she was returning to Hokkaido for "a brief family visit." She had not returned for six months.

Now for the most part, Horohoro lived alone in the small house, doing odd jobs in order to pay the rent and keep his home in some sort of order. He had not seen any of his friends for more than two years, though they all sent him cards for Christmas and birthday. He read the cards, each laced with sympathy and words of comfort, and cast them all aside with disgust. The only company he had nowadays was Pilika, who returned from Hokkaido every few months and spent a couple of weeks with her brother, helping him to tidy the house and get everything organized. Horohoro was unsure of whether his sister did this out of duty or pity, but still he was grateful for the companionship; he had no one else to talk to except Kororo, and he could not even understand what the tiny Koropokkur4 tried to say. More than once Pilika had invited him to come home with her, to once again take charge as the son of the family, but he had always declined. He had made a promise, and he intended to keep it.

Sighing, Horohoro pushed himself off the bed, pulling the matanpushi out of his hair as he headed for the bathroom. He showered quickly and then dressed and got into bed. Pulling the thin blanket over himself, he shivered as he closed his eyes.

_Come back soon, Ren. We have a lot to talk about._

4 _Koropokkur_ may find its origins in the Ainu term "koro-pok-guru," referring to the Jomon people that the Ainu are believed to have displaced in ancient times. The Jomon were dwarvish in appearance. (A/N: The information presented here about the Jomon may clash with other sources because some experts say the Ainu came before the Jomon, and others say that the Jomon were proto-Japanese.)


	5. V

**A/N: **Ren's back! Now before any of you start complaining about his being OOC in this chapter, go fight a war and then come back and tell me that it hasn't changed you.

To **wired**, I've actually considered a HoroLyserg pairing before, but it just doesn't seem to work. However I do plan to have some extremely light HoroLyserg in a vampire fic I'm planning to write in the next few months, so maybe that'll help?

A _huge_ thanks to **Yuki KIKI** for giving me Horohoro's attacks. Her fic, "A Question of Honour," is a very worthy read.

Yes, I know things are a little slow now, but it'll definitely pick up in the next chapter, so hang in there!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER V**

The next day, Usui Horokeu, sensitive to the dawn sunlight, awoke later than usual. Confused, he rolled out of bed, pulled uncoordinatedly at the window blinds, and shook his head when he saw the overcast sky. The black clouds hovered threateningly low and he was glad he did not have any errands to run that day as he pulled on his shirt. Stretching, he splashed some water on his face before heading to the kitchen. Pilika was already up, as expected, and was currently seated at the table, sipping at a mug of tea while holding the daily newspaper in her other hand.

Horohoro blinked upon seeing the variety of dishes laid out on the table. "Uh…Pilika? Usually breakfasts aren't so big…"

His sister looked at him as if he had suddenly changed into a Koropokkur. "Oniichan, it's already past noon," she said.

"It is?"

"For heaven's sake, don't you have a clock in your room?"

Horohoro just shrugged. Taking his place at the table, he began to eat. It was not long, however, before he looked up, swallowed his food, and said in a soft voice, "Anything interesting?" He had not peered at a newspaper in several months but decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

Pilika carefully folded the paper and tossed it across the table to him. "Just briefs, as usual," she said.

Horohoro spread the paper out before him and peered at the corners. Rebel troops had finally fought their way across the precious Huanghe, and the major port city of Fangwei had been destroyed in an overnight air raid. Neither fighters nor diplomats were available for comment.

Horohoro threw the paper aside. "Damn it," he cursed, "They don't write anything these days."

"It's just not such a big deal here in Japan," Pilika said.

"Yeah, well, it should be."

"Not every Japanese is a friend of the Tao heir, Oniichan," his sister pointed out. Horohoro glared at her before returning to his food.

The late afternoon found Horohoro sprawled on the couch in the living room, flipping aimlessly through the television channels. The clouds had not spilled rain yet, though he could tell from the thunder rolling in the distance that the storm would not be long in coming. Horohoro had never been very fond of rain; snow he could tolerate, obviously, but rain was just so goddamn…rainy.

He glanced up when Usui Pilika entered the room. Immediately he straightened at her angry look. "All right, what'd I do this time?"

At this Pilika immediately burst into an angry tirade. "_Yupihi_5, how many times have I told you to be more frugal with what you have?" she cried in exasperation, reverting to the traditional Ainu language as she always did whenever she got angry.

To avoid provoking her further, he responded in kind. "What're you talking about?"

Pilika rolled her eyes. "The food, _Yupihi_, the food," she said, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. "Did you steal stuff from the refridgerator again?"

Horohoro shrugged and turned back to the television. "I got hungry so I fixed myself a snack," he said, "What's the harm in that?"

"The harm is that there's no more food left in the refridgerator!"

"So we'll buy some tomorrow."

Pilika walked up, snatched the remote control from his hands, clicked the television off, and then smacked him upside the head with the tiny device. "You're going _now._"

"But _Matakihi_6…"

"_Now!_" He scuttled out of the room.

Horohoro could not help grumbling to himself as he was jostled this way and that on the busy sidewalk by the crowd of pedestrians hurrying to escape the impending storm. No one was polite enough to even offer an apology, and several times he found himself borne backward by a river of human bodies. With every collision he ran over another item in his mental shopping list. "_Oof!_—Lettuce. _Ow!_—Cheese. _Uhn!_—Bacon—"

"Sorry," the latest culprit mumbled, hurrying on.

"It's okay," Horohoro answered, though he doubted the man had heard him. He continued on. "_Ack!_—Apples. _Oof!_—Beer…" His voice trailed off as something hit him. There had been something strange, almost familiar, about that man's voice…

Quickly his memory flashed as he tried to place the voice to a face. _Yoh—Ryu—Manta—Chocolove—_

He spun suddenly, spotting the man's black cap drawing steadily further and further away. The voice was slightly lower and coarser, but he now remembered clearly who it was.

"_Ren!_"

The man stopped and turned with seemingly great reluctance. Horohoro barely caught a flash of gold beneath dark purple hair before Ren turned and made a break for it, pushing and shoving his way through the crowd. Horohoro immediately gave chase, doing likewise, keeping his eye always fixed on Ren's black cap as he elbowed one pedestrian aside and then another. He had almost caught up when suddenly Ren turned and leaped at least five meters into the air, springing off the wall with such force that he dislodged a brick, and landed smoothly on the opposing rooftop. Horohoro forced his way into the alleyway just underneath and looked up at the Chinese man.

For a moment there was silence. Then Horohoro whispered, "Ren…"

Without a word Ren turned and leaped off the roof, transcending alleyways and bounding from rooftop to rooftop, soon disappearing into the fading mist. Horohoro did not follow, paralyzed by what he had seen: Ren's golden eyes, overflowing with tears.

5 _Yupihi _is traditional Ainu for "older brother." (A/N: In the modern day the Ainu language is spoken in three dialects but is actually almost extinct. I included it just because I love linguistics. I'm not sure which dialect I used; hopefully it's the Hokkaido one.)

6 _Matakihi_ is traditional Ainu for "younger sister."


	6. VI

**A/N: **I would've updated last week but there were IB tests to study for. Hell, I probably wouldn't have updated this week but for the fact that if I didn't, **Azalee** would reach across the Atlantic and slap me. Don't hurt me, Azalee!

So. This is the chapter where you get to find out exactly what happened to Ren during the civil war. I hope I portrayed the war realistically enough…

Oh yeah, and **can anyone get me info on Gei Yin? **She makes an appearance later in this story but I don't know her that well. I'd appreciate any information you can provide, especially personality-wise.

Hm…"Behind Closed Doors" was posted a while ago if you're interested in checking it out—it's HoroRen but it's only fair to warn you that it's rated M. Will also post a Ren-centric one-shot sometime in the near future.

All right, I suppose that's all. Enjoy!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER VI**

Night had fallen long ago—how long, he had no way of knowing. The clouds had finally ripped open, spilling endless torrents of rain that poured mercilessly down on him, soaking his hair and his clothes. Twenty-two-year-old Tao Ren drew his legs more tightly to his chest and shivered as he sat alone against the wall in a small alleyway, watching a large puddle steadily gathering in front of him. Lightning flashed, followed almost immediately by a low rumbling peal of thunder, but Ren ignored it. As a young child he had been afraid of thunder, but after what he had been through these past four years, he found with a strange sentimentality that he was no longer afraid of anything.

Well, that was not entirely true. After all, hadn't he fled from Horohoro that afternoon?

Ren sighed, watching the fragile surface of the puddle shudder as each new drop hit. _Drip…drip…ripple…drip…like blood…_

He remembered everything. When he first arrived in China, he was immediately escorted to see his father, Tao En. They skipped the formalities and Ren was assigned to a battalion of about two hundred soldiers. He was then dispatched along with his troops to the southern sector of Daoming with instructions to capture the city of Nianminglan and thus cut a major rebel supply line. The operation, in Ren's opinion, was a fiasco—excessively cautious, Ren recoiled from a direct frontal assault and soon the two sides had dug in and begun a war of attrition. From day to day it was the same thing: the steady pattering of artillery, the rumble of tanks and the whines of planes, all from across a no-man's land that stretched for no more than half a mile. At long last En sent reinforcements under an experienced general who, seeing that the enemy's numbers were insignificant compared to the Tao forces, immediately ordered a charge straight across no-man's land, something Ren had been reluctant to do. They captured Nianminglan within a matter of hours and Ren, ashamed of his own cowardice and shortsightedness, was harshly reprimanded by his father and reassigned to deal with the guerillas hiding out in Huilan's mountainous areas.

Ren had learned his lesson. In this operation he used his shamanic abilities to their full extent, using Bason first to scout out the rebels and then to destroy them. He ordered his troops into battle on a whim, and eventually stopped doing roll call just so he would not have to bother with tallying casualties. When he had cleared the entire eastern sector of Huilan of all rebels and any life whatsoever, he began his rise.

Fighting from Huilan west across Lixin and then Kaisan, Ren led his troops to victory after bloody victory. Eventually more than three thousand men came under his command, and with this massive force he smashed the rebels with brutal power, having trained himself to see them as no more than lowly insects that had to be put in their places. His only weak point was when he and his soldiers marched into an enemy city and his men went after the women and children, beating, raping and torturing to such an extent that Ren himself did not dare to enter the city and instead camped out on the outskirts, haunted by the images. At night he dreamt of screams and rivers of blood.

Three and a half years thus passed and Ren became almost like an automaton, obeying his father's commands wordlessly and carrying them out with ruthless precision, unaware of and indeed indifferent to the people he lost or the innocent lives he ruined. Unbeknownst to Ren, his eyes had taken on an almost bestial cruelty that would now have appalled even his closest friends. It was not his choice, though. War changed people, and this war had changed Tao Ren.

Then, only several months ago, the bomb fell. Ren and his soldiers were camped out in the small village of Sungao, enjoying the spoils of battle—and that did not just include food and supplies. The cries and screams of the women finally reached such a point that Ren ordered them all killed to end their suffering before cutting his men's rations as punishment and threatening to personally severe the tongue of any man who protested.

Overall they numbered about seven hundred; Ren had lost most his battalion fighting to gain this strategic position. He felt no remorse for the men he had lost, and was prepared to stay for at least two weeks and replenish his soldiers and himself on the village's pillaged goods while awaiting fresh reserves. Opium and alcohol were common amongst victorious Chinese soldiers, so it was only natural that the sudden rebel ambush of about two thousand men one dark night while Ren and his soldiers were drunk and asleep was a rout. Tao Ren, steelhearted to the last, stayed in the center of the camp attempting to rally his panicked soldiers, who fled in every direction like a flock of birds.

Ren's capture was inevitable for he refused to leave with the rest of his staff. A rebel shaman sealed Bason into a mortuary tablet, and Ren was taken to a distant prisoner-of-war camp, ready to face death.

But death did not come; only something much worse. For about a month and a half, cruel things…horrible things were done to him in an attempt to extract confidential Tao information, yet he stubbornly refused to divulge anything which only worsened his treatment. By the time Tao intelligence located him and Tao Jun swept into the camp with her vast army of kyonshi to rescue her brother, Tao Ren would never be the same. The hard callousness in his golden eyes was gone, replaced instead by a shuddering fear.

Ren spent two months recovering in the hospital, regaining control over his broken limbs and steadying his legs so that he could walk by himself instead of always having to be carried. His physical wounds began to mend but psychologically his heart still bled from his experiences. Jun saw this and secured leave from her father so that Ren could return to peaceful Japan for emotional healing. He left immediately, eager to leave China behind.

As promised, Jun had told Ren of Horohoro's declaration, and with the blue-haired Ainu in mind Ren had headed straight for the village he had left with the full intent of apologizing to Horohoro for their fight so many years ago. Once inside the village, however, he had gotten lost in the violent crowd and before he had even been fully aware of it had been jostled right into the young Ainu. At that instant something had snapped in his mind so that he felt a sudden aversion to speaking with Horohoro and could only mumble a hurried apology and hurry on. When Horohoro had called his name, an intense fear had seized his heart and he had panicked and fled. He had been immensely relieved—but also immensely sorry—when he had lost the young Ainu.

Ren sighed and shook his head slowly. After escaping from Horohoro he had mentally reproached himself for being so cowardly, but now after several hours of thinking he finally knew the reason why he had fled. It was the goddamn prisoner-of-war camp with its torturers who had left him tainted and impure, robbing him of his innocence and leaving him no more than a dirty little worm to be spit on by the rest of society. He could not face Horohoro, unclean as he was.

Then another side of him spoke up, whispering to him that he was lying to himself. Usui Horokeu was neither stupid nor superficial; he would understand, he would accept Ren for who he was. Even if he knew what had happened, the Ainu would still be there to support and comfort him. He had no reason to be afraid.

But he did. And that was why he could not stay in the village for fear of running into Horohoro again. As he was trying to decide where to go next, his ears picked up through the patter of rain the sound of footsteps approaching. Quickly Ren, having abandoned his cap long ago, ducked his head down so that the pedestrian would ignore him and walk past. However, when the footsteps came to a stop directly in front of him, Ren had no choice but to lift his head and look up. A brief flash of lightning revealed the lean figure of Usui Horokeu, peering down at him with sympathy in his eyes.

Tao Ren rose slowly to his feet, backed against the wall, refusing to break eye contact with Horohoro. The Ainu, like himself, was soaked through and his blue hair sagged down as he had neglected his matanpushi. For a brief moment both shaman simply watched each other. Then the thunder struck, a resounding clap that exploded in their ears, and when Horohoro flinched Ren sprang to life, shoving him roughly out of the way and sprinting down the alleyway. Horohoro recovered quickly and sprang onto the roof.

Ren rounded the corner, barely able to keep his feet from slipping on the watery ground, and stopped. He turned around, peering into the damp darkness, but saw no one. Almost involuntarily he breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close—

All of a sudden something hit him from behind. Before he even had time to react he was seized by the shoulders and shoved brutally against the brick wall, unable to hold back a cry of agony as old wounds reopened.

Horohoro did not hear the cry. "Why did you run away?" he demanded in a loud voice that could barely be heard above the drumming rain. "Why are you afraid of me?" Ren's refusal to answer only elevated his fury. "I've been waiting for you for four damn years and this is the thanks I get? And you don't call or write or anything! Just who do you think you are, you damn arrogant son of a…"

He stopped, realizing something was wrong. Ren's entire body was now trembling; he could feel it easily as he was still grasping the Chinese shaman's slim shoulders. Horohoro was shocked to see a single tear escape from Ren's tightly shut eyes, mixing with the rain. Through gritted teeth the Chinese man gave a low moan of pain, and suddenly Horohoro noticed the dark trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and realized with horror that the wall behind Ren was starting to darken in color.

"Oh, shit!" Immediately he released the smaller man, but Ren was now only half-conscious and toppled forward straight into Horohoro's arms, sagging limply against him. Horohoro quickly wrapped his arms around Ren, supporting his weight, and saw with horror that the entire back of Ren's shirt was soaked with blood.

"Ren!" Horohoro shook him violently but he did not respond. "Come on, Ren, don't do this to me…" Hoisting the semi-conscious man onto his shoulder, Horohoro turned and hurried back toward his house.


	7. VII

**A/N: **I still need information on Gei Yin. Please?

I think I did all right on my SAT's today, so I'm here to update. Oh, and to **DragonStorm85**…hospital? _–smacks forehead-_ That completely slipped my mind when I wrote it. I must've been _really_ tired…but either way, a house is okay, I guess, because they can be a little more…shall I say, personal there?

If anyone is interested, "Demon Child" was posted a while ago. It's non-yaoi, though, sorry.

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER VII**

Usui Pilika was almost done rearranging the books on the shelf when suddenly a knock sounded at the door. She peered out the window at the pouring rain and then up at the clock. Her brother had left for a walk about an hour ago, which she thought exceedingly strange because he loathed the rain.

There came another knock and she hurried down the hallway toward the door. "All right, Oniichan, I'm coming," she called, "Don't be so impatient…" She unlocked the door, opened it, and abruptly screamed.

Horohoro was standing in the doorway, dripping with a mixture of both blood and rainwater, carrying what appeared to be an unconscious man over his shoulder. It took Pilika a moment to recognize the limp body of Tao Ren.

It took her another moment to regain her voice. "Oniichan, what happened?"

Horohoro stepped inside, not bothering to shed his shoes as he headed toward the guest room, Pilika following. "It's a long story," he said in a toneless voice. "He needs help, Pilika." He set Ren gently down onto the bare table in the middle of the room.

"Where did you find him?" Pilika asked as she hurried to fetch the first aid kit.

"Drowning in the rain," Horohoro said. "He seems to like torturing himself." Pilika saw that her brother was angry and decided not to pry. Horohoro was indeed furious, but not as much at Ren as at his own stupidity. Ren had just returned from a war, for crying out loud—he shouldn't have treated him so roughly!

Pilika picked up a pair of scissors. "Looks like most of the bleeding's coming from his back," she said. "Flip him onto his side." Horohoro obeyed as gently as he could, and his sister quickly cut Ren's shirt away.

Both Ainu stared with horror at Ren's back. The tattoo they both remembered so well was still there, except that it was now marred by several deep slash marks, all leaking blood at a terrifying rate. Pilika blinked, feeling the tears rush to her eyes. "Oniichan," she whispered, "Someone…took a knife…" She swallowed. "Multiple times…" She could find no other words.

"Shit," Horohoro muttered, shaking his head. "Shit, shit, shit…"

"_Yupihi_…" Pilika, distressed, swallowed again. "There are…lash marks too…and those bruises…"

"I can see that!" Horohoro snapped. "Just bind the wounds and get it over with!" Small, thin red cuts decorated the entirety of Ren's back, torso, and arms.

Pilika hurried to obey, moistening a clean cloth with disinfectant. She pressed the cloth to the deepest of Ren's wounds—immediately Ren's body gave a jolt and he cried out in pain, yet his eyes remained closed. Both Horohoro and Pilika were startled, but the younger Ainu quickly regained her composure and pressed the cloth down more firmly. Ren groaned and, as Pilika moved to other wounds, began to writhe.

"Oniichan, hold him down!" Pilika snarled at her brother, barely able to keep her own hands steady on Ren's injured back.

Horohoro, unsure of what to do, approached Ren. He knew better than to use force this time, and so the best he could do was reach out and gently cradle the Chinese shaman's head in his arms. The tears were now streaming down Ren's face, yet he was still in an unconscious state and his eyes did not open. Horohoro was glad for that; he did not want to see the hurt in those golden eyes.

Pilika began applying the bandages; Ren yelped and involuntarily grasped at Horohoro's shirt, clinging to him much as a child would to its mother. Quickly Horohoro lowered his head and whispered his name. This seemed to have a calming effect on Ren and so he continued, "Don't be afraid, Ren. Everything's going to be fine. I'm here now and you're safe." If Ren heard him in his semi-conscious state he did not respond, only continued to cry.

"All right," Pilika muttered to herself as she grabbed hold of one end of the bandage, "If I can just get this tightened…" She pulled hard on the bandage. Ren's body reacted on reflex; he kicked out, catching her in the stomach so that she flew back, stumbling against the wall.

"Pilika!" Horohoro was about to go to her but she quickly waved him off.

"I'm fine," she said, "Just a little dazed. But we have to do something about Ren's struggling. I'll be right back." She hurried to the bathroom, snatched a small bottle from the cabinet, and returned filling a small syringe with clear liquid.

"Pilika, what are you doing?" There was no fear in Horohoro's voice; he knew his sister was more than qualified in the medical field. It was more a matter of curiosity.

"Sedation," she replied simply. "Hold him down." Horohoro obeyed, gripping Ren's shoulders firmly as Pilika inserted the needle into the Chinese man's bleeding arm. Within only a few seconds Ren's entire body went limp.

Without her patient's struggles Pilika easily finished binding the wounds. Securing the bandages, she then wiped her hands on a clean cloth. "Okay, Oniichan," she said, "You're going to have to finish up without me now."

Horohoro blinked. "What?"

Pilika waved at him impatiently. "Look, injuries don't occur solely on the upper body. I'm not going to go any lower, though. You're a guy, so you do it."

For some unknown reason a blush tinted Horohoro's cheeks. "Pilika, this is ridiculous," he spluttered. "He's gonna think I fucking raped him!"

"Better you than me."

"_Matakihi!_"

At this, Horohoro was surprised to see his little sister's eyes take on a surprisingly hard look, something he had not seen since their most intense training days. "Usui Horokeu," she said in a commanding voice that made him cower. "You're doing this. _Now._" She turned, walked out, and slammed the door behind her.

Horohoro was left with a funny feeling in his stomach and the motionless body of Tao Ren. Turning to look at his unconscious friend, he swallowed hard. "Sorry, Ren," he said. "You can kill me later." Taking a deep breath, he pulled on a pair of gloves and began.


	8. VIII

**A/N: **Time for Ren to wake up. This chapter explains a lot about why he's so OOC.

No one has information on Gei Yin? I'm _begging_ for it!

Wish me luck on final exams next week!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER VIII**

An hour passed before the door to the guest room finally opened and Usui Horokeu emerged, carrying a sleeping Tao Ren in his arms, bound in bandages and wearing only his boxers. Walking slowly forward, Horohoro was startled by the appearance of Bason in his hitodama mode, nearly dropping his burden.

Bason did not waste time on formalities. "Is bocchama all right?" he asked immediately.

"He's fine," Horohoro said, and then something dawned on him. "Hey—what took you so damn long to get here?"

For a moment the Ainu thought he detected a hint of shame on the hovering spirit's glowing face. "Bocchama ordered me to stay outside the village until he returned," he explained. "I did so, but when the storm came along I grew worried and went to look for him. I eventually traced him here, but your sister told me you were doing something for him at the moment and that you were not to be disturbed. I honored her request."

Horohoro did not care to answer as he strode across the hallway and entered his own bedroom. Walking over to his bed, he set Ren tenderly down and adjusted the thin sheets around his slim frame. Bason came to hover worriedly over his master. "He will be all right, won't he?" the ghost asked.

"He'll be fine," Horohoro said.

"Why such hospitality?" the ghost asked next. "I was under the impression he repulsed you."

"Yeah, well…" Horohoro shrugged. "Friends are friends. Besides, I won't be sleeping tonight anyway." There was a pause as both Ainu and spirit watched over the sleeping Ren. At long last, Horohoro broke the silence. "Do you know why Ren came back? To Japan, I mean."

Bason answered immediately. "He wanted to see you again."

"I…see. I think I know why he ran away then." Again there was silence. Finally Horohoro turned to face the spirit. "Bason, I need to ask you something. It's really important."

"Of course."

He took a deep breath. "You were with Ren all during the war, right?"

"Yes."

"Was he captured at any point? By the enemy."

Bason nodded, which was strange for his current state of being. "Several months ago we were ambushed, and bocchama was taken prisoner."

Horohoro hesitated. "Do you…know what happened afterward?"

"No," Bason said. "An enemy shaman sealed me into complete darkness in a mortuary tablet for at least a month. When I was finally released by a Tao shaman, bocchama was already in the hospital. He seemed to have been beaten quite badly."

"Do you know anything else about what he went through?"

"Only what he says in his sleep."

"What does he say?"

Bason had to reflect for a moment. "The first few weeks after his rescue, bocchama had fitful dreams," he said. "He often cried out about not wanting his medicine and constantly begged someone to stop. Sometimes he would start screaming and would wake himself up." A pause. "I can only suppose he dreams about the beatings he received."

Horohoro's entire body had now gone rigid. Slowly one hand clenched into a fist. Bason blinked. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, a hell of a lot's wrong," Horohoro snarled through clenched teeth. "Those bastards…you just wait until I get my hands on them…"

"I don't understand."

At this, Horohoro's expression softened. He turned to look straight at Bason. "I know this is probably not something you're usually asked to do," he said, "But could you keep Kororo company in Pilika's room? I'd like to watch over Ren tonight."

The spirit blinked in confusion. "I am Tao Ren's guardian," he said. "Therefore, I should be the one watching over his sleep."

Horohoro shook his head. "No. I'm doing it. Please?"

For a moment Bason was silent with indecision. Finally, he gave a sigh. "May I return in the morning?" he asked.

"Sure." Reluctantly the spirit turned and passed out of the room through the opposite wall. Horohoro dropped down into a nearby chair, watching as the moonlight played on Ren's sleeping face. "Damn it," he whispered, closing his eyes. "Those bastards…"

The warm morning sunlight caressing his face finally brought Tao Ren out of his dreamless slumber. He shifted slightly, not wanting to open his eyes, but realizing suddenly that he was lying on a bed made him come fully awake. He blinked, taking in the view: it was a small room, simple and almost bare, with a desk, a dresser, a closet, and nothing much else. Ren had the uncanny feeling that he had been here before, though at the moment he could not remember when.

Come to think of it, he could not remember anything very well. He closed his eyes and fuzzy scenes flashed behind his dark lids—_drip drip flash horo ? crash run ahhh boom drip drip why ? i'm here and you're safe drip drip drip…_

"Ren?"

Slowly Ren opened his eyes and turned his head. His vision focused on the worried features of Usui Horokeu, clothes and hair still disheveled from the previous night's rain, peering down at him with a concerned look. The Ainu was standing by the bed, one hand trembling slightly at his side as if he wanted to touch Ren but did not dare. "Are you all right?" Horohoro asked.

"Yes." No, he sure as hell wasn't all right.

"That's good."

There was silence. Then: "Where am I?"

"In my room."

"I see." No wonder the place seemed so familiar. Quiet settled once again, but it made Ren uncomfortable and so he decided to start up the conversation again. "Why didn't you put me in my own room?" He was unsure of what else to ask.

Horohoro shrugged and smiled a bit sheepishly. "It's…uh…" He laughed nervously. "I…made it into a storage room about a year ago. It's kind of…um…filled with stuff right now."

"You damn Ainu," Ren said, but the look in his eyes showed that he couldn't have cared less.

Again, there was a pause that neither of them was inclined to break for a long time. Finally, though, Horohoro shoved his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat. "Ren, can I ask you something?"

Ren sighed, too tired—or perhaps too relieved—to be arrogant and aloof. "Depends on what it is."

Horohoro did not know how to begin; how was he supposed to discuss such a sensitive subject? He coughed and looked out the window, stalling for time. Finally, he decided to start at the beginning. "I don't know if you remember much from last night," he said, "But Pilika and I had to bind your wounds, and…well, then I had to…" His voice trailed off and he decided not to dwell any further on that particular topic, instead going straight to the point. "Ren, you weren't just beaten up by those rebels, were you?"

When he saw the sudden look of shame in Ren's golden eyes, he knew he was right, however much he had hoped to be wrong. He took a deep breath, feeling his entire body tremble at what he was about to say. "Ren…" He paused, and when he spoke his voice was barely above a whisper as if he feared being overheard. "You were…raped, weren't you?"

For a brief instant he saw the tears rush into the Chinese man's eyes, but then Ren turned away from him. He made no reply for at least a minute, until finally Horohoro spoke up. "Ren—"

Ren interrupted him. "Every few days or so, they'd come in," he whispered, speaking so softly that Horohoro could barely hear him. The words were completely void of emotion, as if he was forcing them out of his mouth syllable by syllable. "There were never less than two and never more than four…after a few weeks, I just…stopped fighting."

Horohoro felt the tears stinging his own eyes, blurring his vision as he shut his eyes and shook his head. "Damn it," he whispered, feeling as if a blow had been dealt to his own heart. "Ren…" Damn those motherfuckers straight to hell for daring to touch…his…Ren.

When Ren did not reply, Horohoro bit his lip, bent down, and gently touched his trembling shoulder. The other shaman turned in response, and the Ainu now saw the freely-streaming tears.

"Listen to me, Ren." Horohoro tried in vain to wipe Ren's tears away. "You don't have to be afraid. You don't have to run away." Ren looked up at him and the incredibly helpless look in his golden orbs wrenched at Horohoro's heart. The Ainu grasped his hand almost without realizing it. "I don't care about what happened or what other people may think," he whispered. "I care about you and I'm going to do everything I can to help you get through this because…because I don't want you to hurt anymore."

For a moment Ren did not reply, but then his face seemed to soften as he blinked away his tears. "Thanks," he whispered. Then he closed his eyes and said no more. Slowly his fingers relaxed as he fell asleep.

Horohoro considered releasing Ren's hand but found himself strangely reluctant to break contact, experiencing a warm closeness he had never felt before. He settled for sitting down on the edge of the bed, one hand still grasping Ren's, the other reaching out to gently stroke his friend's violet hair.


	9. IX

**A/N: **Wow. MeeLee actually posts a semi-long chapter? What is the world coming to?

Anyway, yeah. Thanks for your support on the previous chapter; I wasn't that confident about it. This chapter, unfortunately, contains some more third-person narration. I'm prepping for some novel writing, so yeah. Hope you can endure.

School's out, by the way. Hopefully that means more frequent updates. I might end up being lazy though and still doing a once-a-week thing.

I've officially given up on getting info on Gei Yin. You'll just have to bear with what little I know.

Thanks again for your support! Keep reviewing! It really makes my day.

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER IX**

Ren spent the entire following week recovering slowly in bed, moving just enough to keep himself from developing sores. Horohoro moved without complaint to the guest bedroom, and took it upon himself to act as Ren's personal nurse, bringing him his meals from Pilika in the kitchen and helping him change his clothes and the bedsheets. Though Horohoro often complained about having to play Ren's slave, both shaman knew that, deep down, they enjoyed each other's company, just as they had four long years before.

Both Pilika and Horohoro offered several times to help change Ren's bandages, but the Chinese surprised them both by assuring them he was capable of doing it himself. When a worried Horohoro tried to convince him otherwise, Ren coolly recounted for him the conclusion of one of his more recent battles: thrown backward by the shock wave of an artillery blast, he had fallen hard into a ditch, snapping his left armbone cleanly in half. With bullets whizzing by above his head and dirt from nearby explosions flying in from all sides, he had bitten down on a spare cartridge while successfully setting his arm back into place, without anesthetics and fast enough to make it to the meeting in order to sort out the terms for the rebel commander's surrender. He ended the story there, but with a little prodding from Horohoro was forced to admit that an infection had occurred not long afterward that had almost gotten his arm amputated; only the miracle of various Chinese herbal remedies had saved him, and he had escaped with just a permanent jagged scar.

It was with this small anecdote that the long hours of conversation between Usui Horokeu and Tao Ren began. Every morning the Ainu would bring Ren his breakfast, after which they would sit for hours, Ren propped up against the bedframe, Horohoro lounging in a nearby chair or sometimes sprawled on the bed beside him. They talked of many things. Ren recounted the basics of what he had experienced in the war, choosing to neglect what atrocities his men had been responsible for after settling in the cities while at the same time almost instinctively exaggerating their glories. Horohoro pulled what news he had of Asakura Yoh and the others out of his jumbled memory while also touching on the odd jobs he had taken these past four years in order to make ends meet, everything from construction worker to library assistant to bartender.

When they ran out of recent events to talk about, they found a new well of topics in remembering the distant years when they had battled with and against each other in the shaman tournament. The memories were bittersweet and one moment they would be laughing over a particularly embarrassing moment; the next they would be staring in silence at the floor or at the ceiling as they remembered a crisis. Neither of them touched on the days right before Ren's departure for China.

Their conversations were simple; Horohoro no longer felt the inclination to tease Ren at every possible moment, and Ren had neither the heart nor the strength to make death threats. When they finally ran out of meaningful topics they turned to more pointless things. Sometimes they would exchange the previous night's dreams; other times they talked about the latest book or movie or perhaps the latest big piece of news. They talked of the civil war sometimes, but not often. Ren refused to look at the daily newspapers.

The sun setting on the third day of the second week found Horohoro and Ren once again in the middle of an animated conversation, this particular one concerning what they both considered a disastrous issue of global society: sisters. Concerning this topic Horohoro had a formidable stockpile of complaints, and he had almost talked himself out of his voice.

"You should see her when we go shopping at the mall down the street," the Ainu was saying. "She runs from window to window like a goddamn six-year-old." He raised the pitch of his voice about an octave in a perfect imitation of his sister. "'Oniichan, I want this. Oh, Oniichan, can you buy me that?' Who does she think I am, emperor of Japan?"

"Tell her to get a job and buy it herself," Ren suggested.

"Yeah, and once she wastes all her money she'll come running back to me." Ren smiled, knowing how much Horohoro was exaggerating in his frustration. "I swear I'm never taking her shopping again. Ever." He shook his head in exasperation. "Don't tell me Jun never does this to you."

Ren shrugged. "She's not very demanding," he said, "And whatever she asks for, the family gives her. Of course, she did ask for a couple of calligraphy brushes for her birthday a few years ago…"

Horohoro snorted. "That's nothing compared to—"

"Popular during the Tang dynasty, crane bones carved and studded with jade and with brushes of hand-woven badger hair," Ren continued as Horohoro's mouth dropped open in mid-sentence. "Cost me…oh, a good quarter of my savings."

The Ainu rolled his eyes. "You damn spoiled brats." Ren smacked him, and before he could retaliate Pilika called him out as usual. Grumbling though hardly able to keep from smiling, Horohoro scooted off the bed and went out the door.

Ren was left alone in the room. For a moment he only lay where he was, looking up at the ceiling, his golden eyes having already adjusted to the darkness. Though he would never admit it openly to Horohoro, the truth was that he missed Jun. For the duration of the war she had been the one delivering En's orders to him and more than once they had fought side by side, Jun maneuvering her kyonshi with the expertise of a puppet master and Ren bellowing orders to his men and to Bason, kwan dao glinting. For the most part, however, Jun was always assigned to the major battles that would require massive loss of life, such as the recent assault on Wuchuan, Daoming's largest city, while Ren was dispatched to take care of stragglers, insurgents and guerillas. Despite his resentment, Ren recognized the wisdom of his father's decisions: every man who fell on the battlefield, whether friend or foe, meant reinforcements for Jun's kyonshi army, while Ren's force was limited in both power and supply.

Ren did not resent his sister, though. After all, she had been the one who had broken through the electrified fencing around the POW camp, hurling her kyonshi mercilessly against it before pouring them into every hallway and room, losing thousands just so that she could find him curled in the corner of his dark cell, sobbing. He remembered that night very clearly. Tao Jun had not said a word; she had walked up to him, bent down, and taken him in her arms just as she had done so many years ago when he had still been a young child plagued by nightmares. He had fallen asleep in her gently-rocking arms and had awoken in the hospital.

The sound of the guest bedroom door closing down the hall jolted Ren out of his memories. Almost immediately he threw the covers back and sprang lithely out of bed, stretching muscles sore from inaction. As he slipped out of his clothes and slowly began unwrapping the bandages on his left arm, Ren could not help but smile. Horohoro and Pilika both thought him still an invalid who had to be treated like a porcelain doll when in reality he had been able to walk quite comfortably for several days already. Grabbing a fresh roll of bandage and proceeding to reapply the dressings to his more serious wounds, he once again considered informing the two Ainu of the truth about his condition, but ultimately decided as on so many other nights to put it off another day. Besides, it had been a long time since anyone had brought meals for him.

He finished and tossed the dirty bandages into a nearby wastebasket before putting on a fresh set of pajamas Horohoro had somehow pulled out of his closet a week ago. He was about to return to bed when it suddenly dawned on him that he had never explored Horohoro's room before. He was instantly struck by an overwhelming, almost rude curiosity about what secrets he might discover in the Ainu's bedroom, and so, closing the door and locking it to avoid any unwanted interruptions, he went carefully through every inch of the room. To his disappointment there was nothing of much interest: several odd books and paintings such as he had never seen—Ainu handiwork, undoubtedly; Christmas and birthday cards tossed rudely into the back of the topmost desk drawer; a few family photographs and handwritten letters in a graceful script he could not read.

Then something caught his attention: the contents of the bottommost drawer of Horohoro's small desk. It was stuffed with newspaper clippings, and upon closer examination Ren discovered that they all seemed to concern the Chinese civil war. His mastery of the Japanese language was limited mostly to speaking and so he could only recognize a few of the characters in the text as all the clippings were briefs from Japanese newspapers, but still there was no mistaking the photographs, most likely snipped from Chinese newspapers. Most of the clippings dated back to more than two years ago, with the majority of them taken only a few months after Ren's departure. The newest excerpt he could find dated back two years three months, and paperclipped to the fragile paper was a small photograph. It was the image of Tao Ren that had scared Horohoro so long ago, though Ren had no way of knowing this as he took the photograph and held it up to the moonlight to get a better look.

At first he did not even recognize himself, so different did he look. Peering closely at the hardened features, the scarred face, Ren was immediately struck by the hard cruelty glinting in his eyes. Was that really how he had looked, ordering his men to their death on the battlefield? Alarmed, he hurried over to the dresser and peered closely at himself in the small mirror; no, there was no trace of that inhumanity, that bestial brutality, yet the image haunted him so that he quickly shoved the photograph back into the drawer, slamming it closed much louder than he had intended, and hurried to bed. Pulling the covers up over his head, he closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

Usui Horokeu was awakened sometime in the middle of the night by a distant scream. Immediately he shot straight up in bed, ears cocked, listening intently. A low moan allowed him to pinpoint the origin of the sounds, and within a few seconds he was in his bedroom, standing by the bed and shaking a groaning Tao Ren by the shoulders.

"Ren!" he hissed, "Ren, wake up!"

Ren did not respond, only continued to tremble and writhe beneath the sheets, biting his lip so hard it drew blood. His words were mostly in Chinese interspersed with broken Japanese. "Please…" he whispered, his voice cracked and trembling. "No…please, I don't want…" His entire body gave a sudden jolt and he began to scream. "No! Not my medicine! Please—"

"Stop it, Ren!" Horohoro cried, shaking him even harder. "Wake up, damn it!"

"Stop…" Tears leaked out of Ren's eyes. "Oh god…please, stop…I don't…want any more…"

"Ren…" Horohoro gently released the Chinese shaman, allowing him to sink deeper into his trembling nightmare. The Ainu glanced quickly out the window; the sky was still dark, which meant it could not be later than two or three in the morning. Looking down at Ren still shaking beneath him, Horohoro sighed, ran a hand backward through his hair, and did the only thing left for him to do.

The following morning, Tao Ren was awakened once again by the sunlight playing on his face. Sitting slowly up in bed and stretching himself out, he yawned and rubbed his eyes, looking out the window at the bright daylight. He had slept surprisingly well the previous night and, feeling quite refreshed, he immediately jumped out of bed, changed, and went downstairs.

He found both Ainu in the kitchen, Pilika getting ready to make breakfast and Horohoro sorting through the mail. Upon sight of him the younger Ainu immediately squealed with delight and gave him a warm hug. "You're finally up!" she cried happily. "We were beginning to worry that you'd never recover completely…"

Ren shrugged while grinning inwardly at how easily he had fooled them. "I felt pretty good this morning," he said, then added, turning to Horohoro, "I suppose you can have your room back now, Horo." He blinked when he noticed the blue-haired Ainu watching him with an intense look. "What?"

Horohoro blinked as if he had not known he was staring. "Oh. Nothing." He smiled. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Yeah, me too." Ren dismissed the funny feeling in his gut and turned to Pilika. "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

Pilika shrugged. "Haven't started yet."

"All right." Ren walked up to the stove. "Anyone want pancakes?"

**Parting words: If you're wondering exactly what Horohoro did during the night, it won't be covered until a few more chapters, so be patient. (And BTW, it didn't have anything to do with sex, perverts.)**


	10. X

**A/N: **I could go into a whole morbid story about why I haven't been able to update these past two weeks, but that would take forever. Let it suffice to say that, due to circumstances beyond my control, updating was impossible.

Oh, and I have some wonderful news! "Rescue Me" has officially been completed, all 75 pages on my computer, meaning that I will no longer be actively working on it. I'll still be updating it on this site though, so don't worry. There are still at least a dozen or so chapters to go, so yeah.

I like this chapter a lot. I am very proud of the action scenes—and you see some tiny hints of HoroRen for once.

If anyone is interested, "My Sacrifice" and "It's Not My Fault" are my two most recent SK projects.

**DragonStorm85 – **Darn, I was hoping no one would notice. Um…just assume he has a key or something. _–sweatdrop-_

**Azalee – **Gei Yin is this assassin that once worked for the Taos. I think she targeted Yoh first and then Ren. Yeah, just Google her and see what you come up with.

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER X**

So several days passed and Ren settled comfortably into the Usui household, helping with the chores and, after his bandages came off at the end of the week, gradually taking up his physical training again. Fortunately for both Horohoro and Pilika, the selfishness, arrogance and brusqueness of the old Tao Ren chose not to return. It seemed Ren had left his old contemptuous self back in China along with the war.

As promised, Horohoro eventually regained possession of his own room and Ren moved into the guest room instead. However, it was not long before one day the Ainu walked into the storage room with an armload of old books, only to find the entire room cleaned out with a single futon laid neatly against one wall and the table and dresser from the guest room sitting by the window. He nearly dropped his burden with shock, utterly confused and indeed suspecting some supernatural intervention when he noticed the kwan dao and the Horaiken propped up neatly in one corner of the room. Immediately he shook his head. "Man, Ren, you could've _told_ me first…"

"Why? It _is_ my room, after all." The Ainu jumped and turned to see Tao Ren standing behind him, leaning with his back against the doorway, arms crossed.

Horohoro sighed. "Where'd you move all my stuff?"

"Into the basement," Ren replied smoothly. "Where it belongs."

Horohoro gaped. "The _basement?_" he repeated hysterically. "Ren, those are valuable Ainu artifacts you just put in there! The basement's damp and full of rats—they'll eat everything up! Oh man, my family's going to kill me…"

He set the box down and turned toward the door but Ren moved, blocking the way. "Relax," the Chinese shaman said. "I hired a couple of men to clean it out. Your stuff's safe down there."

His comment only served to elevate Horohoro's anxiety. "You _hired_ people?" he cried, frantic. "I'm not a goddamn bank, Ren! We hardly have enough for ourselves as it is!"

"Don't worry yourself," Ren said in an even tone. "My pension came yesterday. I gave them some of that."

Horohoro blinked, and when he replied, his voice was subdued. "You get a pension?" When Ren nodded, he asked after a moment's thought, "Does that mean the war is over…for you, I mean?"

"I don't understand."

Horohoro picked his words carefully; the Chinese civil war was always a delicate topic between them, and they both knew the reason why all too well. For them, talking about Ren's glories in battle was easy, but expanding into other subjects concerning the war always brought them dangerously close to discussing what had happened right before Ren had left—and that was something neither of them wanted to remember.

The Ainu took a deep breath. "You're not…going back, are you?"

He saw a brief, unintelligible emotion flicker in Ren's golden eyes before the other man turned from him to look out the window. For a moment he was silent before finally saying in a soft whisper, "I'm only on recovery leave. That means that when my father calls me…I have to go back."

"I…see." For some unknown reason Horohoro's hands began to shake. "Do you know when?"

"When what?"

"When you'll be called."

Ren shook his head. "That's for _ba_ to decide," he said.

Horohoro was silent for a moment, and when he finally spoke, the words came out slowly, cautiously. "You could always…refuse to go, you know," he said, causing Ren to look up in surprise. His voice sped up as he continued. "I could bring you back to Hokkaido. You could live with us and your father would never be able to find you."

Ren smiled sadly. "You don't understand," he said, and continued before Horohoro could protest. "You underestimate our resources. And besides…" He paused. "It's true that I don't want to go back," he said at last. "But I have no choice. My family is there. Jun is there. And though I may hate my father, I need to protect the rest of my family."

Horohoro's voice was soft and contained just a trace of bitterness. "So you would die for your family?" _And abandon me?_

At this, Ren looked up with an odd glint in his golden eyes. "Wouldn't you?"

Horohoro did not answer. An awkward silence hung between them for a moment, broken only when Usui Pilika peeked in the doorway. "Dinner's almost ready," she announced, and frowned when she noticed the two shaman standing in the middle of the room, avoiding each other's eyes and coldly silent. "Anou…is something wrong?"

Almost instantly Ren turned, setting a carefree mask onto his previously stony face with such smooth facility that it startled Horohoro. "No, nothing's wrong," he answered. "I was just getting ready to train."

"We'll be right down," Horohoro added.

"All right." Pilika left.

As soon as her footsteps had faded away, Ren turned back to his Ainu companion. "Well, you heard me," he said as he walked across the room and picked up his Horaiken. "Best get back if you don't want to get hurt."

Horohoro smiled. "Hang on a sec," he said, and darted across the hallway and into his room. When he returned, Ren was astonished to see him holding what appeared to be a longsword with a wooden handle. Horohoro grinned at the other shaman's bewildered expression. "Traditional Ainu design7," he said. "I left my good one back in Hokkaido, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to handle this one." He took a defensive stance. "I need to blow off some steam, so show me what you've got."

Ren did not need a second invitation, lunging forward and bringing the Horaiken down in a lethal cutting slash. Horohoro blocked with amazing reflexes before countering with a series of spinning vertical strikes that Ren barely managed to deflect. As they did their deadly dance back and forth across the room, the uncomfortable aura between them evaporated smoothly and before long they were exchanging commendations and encouragements—as well as the occasional taunt—as if the previous awkward conversation had never occurred.

Horohoro feinted to the left and Ren fell for it, moving to block; in the next instant the Ainu dropped to the floor and kicked out. The Chinese shaman reacted in an eyeblink, leaping up and pivoting smoothly on one arm, catching Horohoro on the shoulder with a powerful midair kick. As the Ainu stumbled backward, dazed, Ren righted himself and triumphantly brought his sword up for a horizontal slash—Horohoro flipped backward with stunning agility so that the tip of Ren's sword barely nicked his shirt. Landing smoothly on the floor, he spun his sword once before counterattacking with a strong uppercut to Ren's midsection, forcing the Chinese into a hasty retreat. Sensing an advantage Horohoro immediately went on the offensive, bringing his sword mercilessly and endlessly down on the smaller man, forcing Ren further and further back. Horohoro could not help grinning when he noticed Ren's face taking on an expression of alarm. Who was the weakling now—

Somehow during the entirety of their battle they had avoided the futon, but now it seemed suddenly to have scooted across the room right to where they were. Neither of them noticed the obstacle until it was too late; with a surprised cry Ren tripped backward over the small mattress. As he fell basic instinct reacted and he reached out for something to hold himself up—unfortunately, that something just happened to be his opponent. Horohoro, completely unprepared when Ren grabbed his shirt, lost his balance as well and both shaman toppled back onto the futon, Horohoro rather unceremoniously ending up on top of Ren.

It took about a second for Horohoro to register what had just happened. It took another second to realize exactly what an awkward position they were currently in, the Ainu lying rather suggestively on top of the Chinese, both of them hot and sweating.

He barely had time to flush before Ren flung him rudely off, spluttering Chinese curses as he righted himself on the futon. Ren's cheeks were tinted pink as he regained his breath and turned to Horohoro. "All right, I call it a draw."

Immediately Horohoro grew indignant. "That was _not_ a draw!" he protested. "I was winning and you know it!"

"Bullshit," Ren said, waving him off dismissively. "I was going easy on you."

"Really?" Horohoro smirked. "You looked pretty damn scared to me."

"I was _not!_" the other shaman retorted. "I was…just pretending so that you'd let your guard down."

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Eager to change the subject, Ren ventured, "Where'd you learn to fight like that anyway? I thought the Ainu didn't like violence."

"We don't," Horohoro said. "But that doesn't mean we can't fight. Besides, I'm probably the best swordfighter in our village, probably because I…er…" His voice trailed off and he flushed, embarrassed.

Ren immediately pounced on the opportunity. "What?" he said. "Tell me."

"I…uh…" Horohoro paused before saying in a timid voice, "I was…erm…I was the lead in the…uh…_emush rimse._"

Ren blinked. "What the hell is that?"

"It's…" Horohoro swallowed hard and decided to get it over with as quickly as possible. "It's a dance. A sword dance."

There followed a long silence. Then Ren with an evil grin asked, "Complete with tights and a pink tutu?"

When Usui Pilika finally left the kitchen and made her way upstairs to call her brother and his friend to dinner, she was almost plowed over by a most interesting sight: Tao Ren dashing down the halls as fast as he could, with Usui Horokeu in hot pursuit, screaming murder.

7 Ainu swords are generally used only for rituals and not actual battles. However, the Ainu fought several hard battles against the expanding Japanese throughout history so it can be inferred that they knew something of armed combat. (A/N: Besides, don't we all know that Horohoro kicks ass?)


	11. XI

**A/N: **Yay, a (relatively) fast update! Here is where the true HoroRen-ness begins. Of course, I had to start it off one-sided. Poor Horo.

You have no idea how happy I am that a lot of people noticed the role switch at the end of the last chapter; I didn't know if I had made it too subtle or not. Good job, everyone!

I am currently battling myself over whether or not to post a couple of lemon-ish fics I've written recently. I'm practicing for another long HoroRen saga. Opinions?

Oh, and does anyone know a good place to download SK manga? Preferably English scanlation, of course. Thanks!

My latest HoroRen endeavor, "Lullaby," a sequel to "Demon Child," has been posted! Be sure to check it out!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XI**

The weeks slowly ticked by. Ren's wounds gradually stopped their previous spontaneous ruptures, and he and Horohoro's daily training battles eventually became more and more intense. The two shaman now made it part of their everyday routine to train together, sometimes with weapons, other times with spirits. At one point Bason and Kororo's clash climaxed to such a point that the people of the town grew frightened, raised the alarm and evacuated. Following that incident, Horohoro and Ren were forced to move to the grassy fields that lay a safe but walkable distance away from the town in order to train without any nasty side effects.

Each training session, usually lasting from early afternoon to evening, was filled with intense power, golden sparks and jagged pieces of ice colliding in midair to create a fantastic light show. Neither shaman was willing to give up and admit defeat to the other, so most of their battles ended in draws with both warriors at last exhausting their respective strength and furyoku. Sometimes, however, a tricky feint or some novel strategy would allow one to prevail over the other, but the victor's gloating rights never lasted long; the loser almost always made a comeback the following day.

After each session, the two exhausted shaman often sat by the edge of the nearby lake, watching the sinking sun set the rolling waves on fire as they ate whatever meal Pilika had packed for them. During these long, serene moments, accompanied by only their trusted spirit companions, Ren and Horohoro felt truly at peace. They talked sometimes, usually going over the strategies used in that day's battle, pointing out mistakes and possible improvements. The distant Chinese civil war was now a forbidden topic between them.

After a few days they got into the habit of sending Bason and Kororo back to the house early so that they could sit alone and watch the sunset together; somehow each shaman felt more comfortable like this, though neither could explain why. Pretty soon they had become the closest of friends and it seemed as if one had known the other all of his life. Their conversations were simple; the looks they gave each other were honest and, reflecting later, Horohoro supposed that the signs were bound to show up sooner or later.

At first there were only subtle things, small quirks so fine that they were unnoticeable at first: he could immediately sense whenever Ren entered the room or approached him; he began to feel warm whenever he looked at the other shaman too much; he suddenly became strangely fascinated with every line and detail of Ren's face and body. Horohoro tried at first to ignore these signs, attributing them to a new, deeper level of friendship, but then one evening it happened.

The day started out just like any other day. After lunch, Horohoro and Ren once again packed up Pilika's sandwiches and headed off to the fields. Their battle was rather severe, ending in a draw as usual and leaving Horohoro with an ugly slash across his shoulder and Ren with a half-frozen knee. Bason and Kororo left as usual, leaving the two shaman to themselves as they began eating at the edge of the lake, watching the sunset and discussing the day's improvements as they always did.

Ren was the first to finish his sandwich and immediately turned to tending Horohoro's wound. They had finished the day's review long before, and Horohoro allowed Ren to bind the cut in silence. When he had finished, Ren sat slowly back and looked back out at the rippling red water, but despite the silence—or perhaps because of it—Horohoro immediately noticed out of the corner of his eye how Ren's hand slowly crept up to gently massage his upper arm. Instantly the Ainu turned.

"Something wrong, Ren?" he asked.

"Hm?" Ren turned, abruptly lowering his hand. "Nothing."

Horohoro frowned. "Are you hurt?"

Ren shrugged. "Just a little sore," he said, stretching a bit. "Some of my old wounds are starting to bother me."

"Lie back a bit," the Ainu suggested.

Ren snorted. "It's just a little twinge, Horo," he said. "What're you so worried about?"

"Look," Horohoro said, "You're the one that I had to carry home a few weeks ago, remember? Besides, our training's been really intense. You need to tone things down a bit else Pilika'll have to go after you with a scalpel."

Ren sighed. "Fine, fine," he said, too tired to argue. Lying back on the grass, he locked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Horohoro looked back out at the lake, kicking lightly at the water that just barely reached to his toes. Again, as he had often done the past couple of weeks, he wondered just why he cared about Ren so much. They were friends, yes, but the Chinese shaman somehow made him feel something Yoh and the others never did. He could not explain what that feeling was: it was hot and cold, intense and mild, all at the same time. Either way, he was comfortable with it…to some extent.

The last bit of sun had finally disappeared below the horizon, and the sky was now tinted a dull pink. Horohoro shifted and turned to Ren, opening his mouth to wake him, but stopped. Perhaps it was the last bit of sunlight reflecting on the water, or perhaps it was the dim light from the stars just beginning to peek out overhead, but somehow Tao Ren's face was now outlined in a pale, faint glow. Lying as he was with his eyes closed, he looked almost…angelic.

Horohoro knew it was wrong to stare but he could not help it as he watched the light dance over Ren's closed lids, his lean nose, and then his thin mouth. The Ainu was suddenly struck by how delicate Ren's lips looked, and found himself wondering almost involuntarily what it would feel like to kiss those lips. Immediately he was struck with horror at his thoughts, but then his mind shifted and whispered to him that somehow this was right. Before he was even fully aware of it, he was leaning over Ren with the urge to fulfill an insatiable desire, the desire to touch Ren's lips with his own…

Ren's soft sigh tore Horohoro back from the edge just in time so that when the Chinese shaman shifted slightly before finally opening his eyes and rising to a sitting position, Horohoro had already scooted a safe distance away. Ren seemed not to have noticed anything out of the ordinary as he stretched again, unceremoniously trying to beat his knee back from its numbed state. Looking up at the darkened sky, he began collecting his things. "It's late," he said, "We should get going."

"Yeah." Horohoro refused to turn around, afraid to meet the Chinese man's eyes. "You go on ahead without me."

Ren blinked. "Why?"

"Because…I want to watch the moonrise."

"I don't have to go," Ren said. "Want me to stay here with you?"

Yes. "No," Horohoro answered, looking out into the darkness at nothing. "I'll catch up with you later. Besides, you're the sore one. You should be getting some rest."

"Fine by me," Ren said with a shrug. "Don't blame me if Pilika gets mad at you though."

Horohoro laughed half-heartedly. "I'll be in soon, don't worry."

"All right." Ren's footsteps gradually faded as he walked away. As soon as silence had descended once again, Horohoro drew his legs up to his chest and slowly shook his head. Everything was clear to him now…out of all the people in the world, though, the last person he had expected to fall in love with was Tao Ren.


	12. XII

**A/N: **And here begins the section of this story that I have not-so-affectionately nicknamed The Fuzzy Period. It has this name because the writing isn't as good and the plot is rather choppy in my opinion. I'm not much of a romance writer, I'm afraid—which is rather ironic considering this fic is all _about_ romance.

**Fleurdelisse – **I haven't watched that many episodes of SK either. As for the Ainu website, I lost all my bookmarked sites recently, but I do remember that most of the info I got off a website called The Ainu Museum. Just look that up on the Internet and you'll be sure to find it; FFN doesn't allow me to post URLs, sorry.

**Candy chan – **Thank you so much for a gallant attempt at giving me a site, but unfortunately FFN blocks URLs so I wasn't able to see the address. Would you mind emailing it to me? Leave me your email in a review if you can't get to the one in my profile. Thanks!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XII**

Usui Pilika sighed, stopped her pacing, and looked up at the clock for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes. She shook her head and started pacing again. "He's never late for breakfast," she muttered.

Tao Ren, seated at the table sipping a glass of milk, barely looked up from his novel. "Maybe he slept in," he said. "Did he come back late last night?"

Pilika shook her head. "I heard the front door open just a few minutes after we'd gone to bed. He came up the stairs and then he went into his room and shut the door. I didn't hear anything after that."

Ren shrugged. "So maybe he's just feeling tired," he said, finishing his glass. "Our training yesterday wasn't exactly a walk in the park."

"Yeah, but…" The young blue-haired Ainu woman sighed and turned. "Maybe you should go check on him."

"Why me?"

"Because you're his friend."

Ren cocked an eyebrow. "And you're not?"

Pilika only shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I think he'll open up to you more."

The Chinese shaman set his glass down and got up from the table. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that you spent half his last month's paycheck on that dress?"

Pilika flushed. "It's a very pretty dress!"

"Thought so." Ren turned and walked out of the kitchen.

He knew something was amiss the instant he caught sight of Horohoro's bedroom door: it was closed and locked, which was exceedingly strange because the Ainu never did either. Walking carefully up to it, he pressed a trained ear to the door but heard nothing but silence beyond. Frowning, he raised a hand and rapped sharply on the thin wood.

For a moment there was no reply, but then he heard a slight rustling and an instant later Horohoro's voice answered. "What?"

"It's me," Ren said in a loud voice. "Pilika wants you to come down for breakfast."

"Tell her I'm going to be late."

"You already _are_ late. Now get your lazy ass down here."

"I'm not hungry."

"Yeah, and I'm not a Tao."

"C'mon, Ren." Horohoro sighed. "I…uh…I'm not feeling well."

"Bullshit." And with a well-aimed spin-kick Ren broke the door open. His Ainu friend, sunken down on the edge of the mattress with his eyes fixed on the floor, hardly reacted.

Immediately Ren sensed something wrong. "Horo?" He stepped cautiously into the room. Horohoro lifted his head and Ren gasped. "Shit—did you get _any_ sleep last night?" The ice shaman's eyes were bloodshot and ringed with dark circles.

Horohoro coughed. "Sure I did."

Ren sighed. "All right, what's wrong?"

You, Horohoro wanted to answer. You're what's wrong—you with your beautiful golden eyes and your luscious lips and your _everything!_ That's what's wrong!

He had stayed up all of the previous night, reflecting on what had happened by the lake that evening. He still found it hard to believe that he could fall in love with another man—and least of all, Tao Ren, the arrogant, sinister, selfish bastard with an ego that could fill all of China. Of course, that Ren was not the Ren that Horohoro loved. That Ren was dead, and in his place had risen a softer, kinder, more caring Ren. That was the Ren that Horohoro loved.

The Ainu sighed inwardly. What was he going to do now? He had pictured the scene in his head: watching Ren's face take on a look of horror after his confession—or even worse, break into a mocking laugh. Ren could never accept his love, Horohoro knew. But still, that did not keep the love from being present, and Horohoro could do nothing about that fact, except to…

_To what? Ignore it and continue to live with a secret lust for his friend? Or to accept it and try to get Ren to feel the same way?_

"Horo." Ren's voice broke into his thoughts. "Did you hear me? What's wrong?"

His answer was far more quick and forceful than he intended it to be. "Nothing's wrong!"

He did not have to look up to see Ren's eyes take on that dangerous glint. "It was just a simple question," the Chinese said quietly.

Due to his confused emotional state Horohoro could hardly control what he was saying. "Yeah, well, my simple answer is leave me alone!"

Tao Ren had always had a short temper, and this case was no exception. "What the hell is up with you today?" he snapped angrily. "Got your ikapsui shoved up your ass or something? I'm just trying to help you!"

Horohoro leaped to his feet and the words were out before he was even fully aware of it. "The same way I tried to help you before you left?"

Silence. Horohoro felt an uncomfortable feeling sink into his stomach like a stone. A delicate topic that had been carefully avoided for months had suddenly fallen like a bombshell right onto their heads, and neither of them was prepared for it. Horohoro coughed and stared at the floor; Ren turned to the wall, hands trembling. For a full minute neither of them dared to speak.

At long last, Ren let out a small sigh. "I…suppose you're right," he said in a tired voice, as if the conversation had exhausted him. "Sorry I asked." He turned to the door.

"Wait." Ren turned at Horohoro's voice. The Ainu stood lone and tall in the middle of the room, watching him with immensely apologetic eyes. "I…I'm sorry," Horohoro said, eyes flicking uncertainly away from Ren's gaze and to the floor again. "I'm sorry about what I said…and about…everything else…"

It was an awkward attempt but Ren understood what he meant. "No, it was my fault," he said. "I should have…tried to understand…" His voice trailed off as he ran out of things to say.

Again, an uncomfortable silence. Finally Ren spoke. "Look," he said, causing Horohoro to glance up. Ren tried to smile. "Come on down to breakfast, get your scolding from Pilika, and we'll call it even, all right?"

"Yeah," the Ainu agreed, relieved. "Sure." The other shaman turned once again toward the door, but Horohoro looked up. "Wait." When Ren turned, he swallowed hard and for a moment was unable to say anything.

"Ren…" Horohoro said at last, and had to swallow again before asking in a timid voice, "Will you…hug me?"

Ren cocked an eyebrow and frowned. "Why?"

"I…I need it." At Ren's quizzical look Horohoro sighed and dropped his eyes down to the floor. "Never mind," he said quickly. "I shouldn't have asked. I just—" He did not have a chance to finish for at that moment he felt himself pulled forward and wrapped in a warm embrace. It took him a moment to realize what had just happened, but then he relaxed, resting his head lightly on Ren's shoulder, and held the other shaman close.

Tao Ren did feel slightly uncomfortable embracing another man, but the helplessness in Horohoro's obsidian eyes and the way his voice trembled with shyness had made it impossible for him to refuse the Ainu's request. When they finally pulled away, he was surprised to see an emotion in the Ainu's eyes that he had never seen before, though he did not know what to make of it.

Horohoro sighed, though it was out of relief rather than depression. "Thanks," he said. "You have no idea how much that meant to me."

Ren slowly lowered his hands from the other shaman's shoulders, strangely reluctant to break contact. He felt something hot boiling in his gut, though he could not explain it. The look in Horohoro's eyes had utterly confused him; he was so bewildered that it took him a moment before he could reply, barely able to mutter, "Don't mention it."

Horohoro looked straight into his eyes once again, and Ren felt something twist inside himself when he saw the Ainu's midnight-black eyes shining once again with…with what? He did not know the emotion. It reminded him faintly of what he sometimes saw in his sister's eyes whenever she was worried for him, or the look Bason gave him while watching over him in the hospital. Was it concern? Worry? Caring?

It was a shame that Tao Ren had never been taught to recognize love.

The sound of Horohoro clearing his throat brought Ren back to the moment. "Would you mind stepping outside for a minute?" the Ainu asked. "I'm a mess and I need to change."

Ren blinked, forcing himself to answer. "Uh, yeah. Sure. What was it—oh yeah, breakfast. Pilika wants you to come down for breakfast." Not waiting for Horohoro's answer he turned quickly, walked out of the room, and hurried down the hall.

Horohoro watched the open doorway for a moment. He had hardly been able to conceal his trembling after he and Ren had pulled apart, and he was rather surprised that Ren had not seen right through him afterward. The Ainu had always been very frank with his emotions; due to his upbringing it was very difficult for him to hide his feelings about everything—that clearly explained why he always lost his poker matches. It was very fortunate indeed that Ren had not realized the truth at that moment. Or perhaps, Horohoro reflected, the Chinese shaman had indeed acknowledged his love but had chosen not to act on it.

Either way, if he didn't go down for breakfast soon, Pilika would insure that he would never have to worry about Ren or himself or anything ever again. Sighing softly to himself, he splashed some water on his face in a futile attempt to conceal the dark circles beneath his eyes, changed into fresh clothing, and headed downstairs.


	13. XIII

**A/N: **A little more action in this chapter. I'm not all that great with battle scenes, as you can probably tell. Oh yeah, and I chose to use regular Oversouls rather than those huge Super Oversouls on a whim. Trade power for speed, right?

There's a little angst here, but the ending's sweet in my opinion. Oh, and thanks again to **Yuki KIKI** for giving me Horohoro's attacks!

For anyone who is curious…the name Yu Wenfeng is actually a combination of my brother's and my own Chinese names. Does that make him a self-insert? NO—I'd die first.

I have finally decided to start using those horizontal dividers to make subsections clearer. Hopefully that'll make things easier to read and understand.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR 100+ REVIEWS!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XIII**

"_Golden Chuuka Zanmai!_"

"_Kaukau Priwempe!_"

Thunder crashed and lights flared as the sky itself shattered into a million glinting sparks. Usui Horokeu quickly leaped back to avoid the deadly shower of debris, creating a shield of ice above his head with a swipe of his ikapsui. Far away on the opposite side of the field, he saw Tao Ren land smoothly on the soft grass, Oversoul pulsing with spiritual energy.

Ren watched cautiously as the Ainu slowly steadied his feet, bringing his ikapsui up in preparation for another attack, Kororo's Oversoul glowing. The Chinese shaman narrowed his eyes as he quickly evaluated the situation. When they had first begun training he had had the advantage; he had honed his shaman skills impressively by fighting in China, but somehow over the weeks Horohoro had learned to predict his moves. If he wanted to win this one, he would have to try something entirely new and unexpected, but he was running out of ideas.

"Bocchama." He did not turn at Bason's voice, but the spirit only continued, "What are you going to do?"

Ren's eyes quickly took in Horohoro's determined face peering at him from behind the glowing Oversoul. The ice shaman was expecting him to launch another direct assault with Bason's power; he knew this because it was what he had been considering just a few seconds before. Now, however, he realized he would have to tweak things a bit.

Tucking the Horaiken away and lifting his kwan dao, Ren called in a loud voice, "Let's go, Bason!" His spiritual ally obediently gathered in a glowing yellow Oversoul around the blade of his weapon. Leaping forward, Ren launched himself into the air, bringing his kwan dao up, bearing down upon Horohoro. He clearly saw the smirk on the other shaman's face as Horohoro quickly raised his Oversoul to block, but Ren was not worried. He had worked out this strategy the previous night, and it would definitely earn him a victory today.

Horohoro resisted the urge to shake his head in disappointment as Ren bore down on him, slashing down with his kwan dao. It was just like the other shaman to rashly use the same techniques over and over again, the Ainu thought as he launched Kororo forward to defend. He was going to win, hands down.

Ice and golden light collided into a spectacular show of sparks. Quickly Horohoro shielded his eyes to prevent himself from being blinded; when the light finally faded away, he looked up, ready to defend against another assault…

He blinked when he saw Ren's kwan dao sticking straight up in front of him, the blade half-embedded in the ground. It was still glowing with furyoku and Bason's Oversoul, yet Ren was nowhere in sight. Horohoro froze, utterly confused, and did not hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late.

Ren was already less than two steps away from Horohoro when the Ainu finally turned around. He barely had time to register the shock on the ice shaman's face before he brought the Horaiken down upon the Ainu in a powerful downward cut. He felt the impact vibrate all along the length of the blade as Horohoro cried out, losing his balance and tumbling to the ground. His lifeless ikapsui fell to the grass beside him.

Ren did not even bother looking at his defeated opponent as he folded the Horaiken before retrieving his kwan dao. He had been sure to strike Horohoro with the dull edge of the sword, so the worst injury the other shaman could sustain would be a bruise. Ren smiled proudly at his strategy as he slowly dismantled his kwan dao and folded it neatly up. Yes, it was true that a shaman's power lay in his spiritual ally…but sometimes if you wanted the job done right, you had to do it yourself.

Turning then, he sniffed at Horohoro still lying on the floor. "Looks like I win," he said. "Watch your back next time."

There was no reply. Ren blinked. "Horo?" Still the ice shaman did not move, and Ren suddenly began to feel cold. "Horo?"

Before he was even fully aware of it he was kneeling beside the other shaman, shaking him gently by the shoulders. "Horo!" When the Ainu still did not respond, Ren began to panic. Had he accidentally struck with the sharp edge of the Horaiken? Impossible! He never made mistakes like that—and yet Horohoro was almost…lifeless…

_…wenfeng…?…_

"Horo!" Ren's voice was frantic; he was finding it hard to breathe as he shook the Ainu harder. "You bastard! Get up, damnit!"

_Drip drip…god no wenfeng WAKE UP no…_

_I will not make this mistake again. I will not…never again…again…_

On the verge of tears with dull screams echoing inside his head, it took Ren a moment before he realized that Horohoro's body was now shaking of its own accord. Withdrawing his hands, he blinked and bent closer, hearing a funny sound. An instant later he realized that Horohoro was giggling; the Ainu suddenly flipped over, clutching his stomach and laughing uncontrollably. It took only half a second for Ren to figure out the prank.

Horohoro could hardly breathe, he was guffawing so hard. "You…should've heard…yourself…" he said between laughs and struggles for air. "You were…like a goddamn baby…"

He turned, still chuckling. "You should've—Ren?" The Chinese shaman was already halfway across the field, walking steadily, head down. Quickly Horohoro sprang to his feet. "Ren!"

Ren spoke softly yet Horohoro heard him as clearly as if he had been standing right next to him. "_Kiisama._ I don't ever want to see you again."

Horohoro's smile crashed to the floor, and for a split second he could only stare at Ren's rapidly retreating back. Then something snapped and he sprinted forward, covering the distance between them within seconds, and grabbing Ren's hand he forced the other shaman to stop.

For a moment they only stood there silently, one in anger and one in utter confusion. Horohoro could not understand why Ren was so furious; it had only been a stupid joke, and after he had revealed everything he had expected Ren to laugh with him. Was there something he had missed here?

Ren's sigh broke into his thoughts. "Let go of me," he said in a tired voice, refusing to turn around. "I'm going."

"Where?"

"Away from you."

The reality of the situation finally struck Horohoro full in the face. He felt something funny twist in his stomach at Ren's words, and suddenly the cold of the steadily approaching night seemed to seep into his very bones. Ren was leaving him…again?

Almost instinctively he tightened his grip on the other shaman's hand. "Ren…" He swallowed hard. "Ren, I'm sorry…"

"Hmph." Still Ren refused to face him. "So am I."

"What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand."

And then Horohoro knew. The tone of Ren's voice made it as obvious as if Ren had told him straight out. "Something happened…during the war, didn't it?"

For a long time Ren did not answer, and Horohoro knew he was right. He coughed, trying to hide the shame in his voice but failing. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to make you—"

"Ever lose one of your closest friends, Horo?" He looked up at Ren's voice, but before he could reply the other shaman continued in a steady tone. "Ever drank and laughed with someone one day and the next watched them lowered into the earth? Do you know how that feels, Horo? Do you?"

Horohoro did not feel it safe to reply and so he said nothing, allowing Ren a moment to collect his thoughts before the Chinese finally said in a soft voice, "One of the first soldiers I ever worked with was a young scholar's son named Yu Wenfeng. He was only two years younger than me, and was assigned to my first division after I arrived in China. He stuck with me through countless battles for more than two years. He became my closest adviser, as well as my closest friend."

"What…happened?" Horohoro asked in a timid voice.

Ren sighed. "We were tasked to take the city of Nuwai," he said.

* * *

_"All right," Tao Ren said as he set the crumpled sheet of paper down on the small table in front of him. "Here's the center of Nuwai. Here's the outer wall." He sketched quickly with his pen. "Here's the river…and here's Hanshanling Bridge."_

_He looked up at his partner, and receiving an attentive nod from Yu Wenfeng, turned back to the paper. "Our goal is to get across the river. Once we're there, breaking through the walls should be easy with Bason. Remember, our primary target is the railroad line."_

_"And no prisoners," Wenfeng said._

_"No prisoners," Ren agreed, folding up the paper. They hurried to rally their troops, shouting to the soldiers over the din of gunfire and the blasts of artillery shells._

_Ren could hardly hear his own voice as he bellowed orders to the soldiers, hearing Wenfeng in the distance doing the same. "Gunners to the right!" Ren yelled. "We need to clear that bridge!"_

_"Ren!" He turned to see Wenfeng rapidly approaching. The other man offered a quick salute that Ren did not bother to return, too busy watching for bullets out of the corner of his eye as Wenfeng said with a smile, "Half of my rations tonight say I'll be across that bridge before you."_

_Ren raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well, half of _my_ rations say you're full of shit." Turning and raising his Horaiken, he bellowed to his soldiers to follow and sprinted toward the bridge. Behind him he heard Wenfeng curse before following him, and bit back the urge to laugh, too busy concentrating on using his Oversoul to deflect the bullets that now rained down on him._

_He was at the bridge in only a matter of minutes, stumbling over bodies, struggling to keep from slipping on the blood that decorated the ground everywhere. A shell exploded barely five feet away from him; he was thrown back by the shock wave, landing hard on the ground. He recovered his senses just in time to see Wenfeng leap lightly past him, a triumphant grin on his face as he mounted the bridge. Snarling in frustration and focused only on winning that bet, Ren quickly sprang to his feet and followed._

_It was not until they were both halfway across the bridge that he realized that they had made a huge mistake._

_The realization struck Ren like a bullet—why the rebels were no longer firing upon them, why the area around the bridge was clear, why the men who had just been manning the guns were now scrambling back away from the outer wall deeper into the protection of the city. There was only one viable explanation: the bridge was rigged._

_Wenfeng, slightly ahead, turned back and yelled to Ren, "Looks like I'm gonna win!"_

_"Wenfeng!" Ren shouted back, suddenly hysterical with fear. "Bomb—" A huge roar exploded in his ears and in the next instant his body became strangely light as he was thrown into the air. A split second later, when he hit the ground on the opposite bank, the searing pain began tearing through his nerves, a merciless, fiery agony as if he had just been riddled with bullets. The entire world flashed white, then black, then suddenly white again, and he screamed out as the pain once again ravaged his body._

_Everything suddenly seemed to be upside down as Ren struggled to turn, hardly able to move from the pain. He did not have to look down to see his legs covered with burns; he did not have to notice the blood flowing freely out of his mouth to realize he had broken at least half of his ribs and possibly ruptured several of his internal organs. The world swam before his eyes and everything seemed strangely out of sync, and Ren knew he had probably just sustained a concussion from the bomb blast. The only thing he could not explain about himself was why his entire right arm had suddenly gone numb. He could not move it, but that was not important as he slowly pushed himself up on his good left arm, looking around frantically for Wenfeng._

_He spotted a dark mass lying only a few feet away from him and dragged himself slowly over to it, grabbing at the ground with the fingers of his left hand and pulling his body along the rocky floor. Pushing the motionless body onto its back, Ren was astonished to see Wenfeng's face half-gone, covered with blistering burns. His friend's one good eye was closed, and his mouth was half-open in a scream._

_"Wenfeng?" There was no response, but Ren figured his friend had just not regained his senses yet. He tried to lift the younger soldier, but discovered that his right arm would not come around. In fact, it did not even appear to be attached to his shoulder, a fact that he noted with dull acknowledgement._

_"Wenfeng, wake up." Ren shook the other soldier with his left hand. "Wenfeng." Still there was no response; the eye remained closed, the mouth open._

_"Wenfeng!" Damnit, if that lazy son of a bitch didn't get up soon, they'd be captured. "Get up, you asshole! Get up!" He shook him harder, but still to no avail. Wenfeng's body would not respond._

_"Wenfeng! God, no—wake up! Wake up!"_

_WENFENG…WENFENG…Wenfeng…wenfeng…wen…feng…_

* * *

"He wouldn't wake up," Ren said softly. Horohoro could feel the hand he grasped trembling. "I tried so hard, but he wouldn't."

Horohoro swallowed and for a long time was unable to say anything. Finally, though, he ventured in a soft voice, "What happened after that?"

"We had a surgeon in the hospital who would've made Faust proud," Ren said. "He patched me up again. And as for my arm…they never found it, or the other half of my shoulder. They had to attach a new limb, and at that time there was only one person who had an arm that would fit, and was also conveniently dead enough to give it up."

Horohoro turned cold, looking down at the hand he was currently holding. "You can't mean…"

"Yes." Ren's golden eyes had closed, and a single tear trembled on his lashes. "This arm isn't mine. It's Wenfeng's."

Horohoro swallowed hard. "I'm sorry about what I did. I should've thought about—"

"After what happened, I swore I would never again do anything so rash," Ren said, interrupting him. "I won't make that mistake again. I won't."

"Ren…" Horohoro had never felt so badly in his life. The last thing he had wanted to do was remind Ren of what he had lost in the war; at the time he had thought it would be fun to play a trick, but now he realized what a big mistake he had made. "I'm sorry, Ren." When the other shaman did not reply, Horohoro stepped forward, pulled Ren toward him, and held him close. Still the Chinese refused to speak, but Horohoro could feel him trembling as he struggled with his tears.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Horohoro said, voice shaky. "You know that, right? I did something really stupid and I'm sorry. You won't leave me, will you?"

Ren sighed, his voice muffled because his face was currently buried in Horohoro's shoulder. "No," he whispered. "I won't leave you."

"Ever?" the Ainu asked in a small voice, holding his breath.

It took Ren a moment of reflection, but then he made his decision. "Ever," he said, and hugged Horohoro closer.


	14. XIV

**A/N: **I have finally changed the summary for this story; the previous one was too broad in my opinion. Hopefully this one's a little better.

This chapter is sort of a transitional chapter in preparation for more exciting things to come. It's also, I am happy to announce, the last chapter of the notorious Fuzzy Period. Go me!

Yes, **celestial-gal**, I am Chinese. It makes coming up with names for soldiers and other characters in this story much easier. _–sweatdrop-_

Oh yeah, and to everyone who said that the arm thing was gross…I wholeheartedly agree with you…

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XIV**

By the time Usui Horokeu and Tao Ren finally returned to the small house, night had already settled for several hours. Looking up, Horohoro was glad to see the window of Pilika's room dark; he would be able to spend some more quality time with Ren. Besides, recently his sister had been watching him with an odd look in her eyes, and Horohoro suspected that she knew what was going on concerning Ren and himself.

Actually, Horohoro thought to himself, there really wasn't much going on. After all, he was the one who loved Ren, yet the other shaman had given no indication of reciprocating those feelings.

…Well, not exactly _no_ indication, Horohoro reflected again as he unlocked the front door, glancing at Ren out of the corner of his eye. Earlier that day, in the fields, when Ren had hugged him so simply, frankly allowing their fingers to entwine as two lovers might—

Horohoro blinked, involuntarily feeling the blood rush to his face. Lovers? When the hell had _that_ happened?

"Horo."

He looked up, saw Ren watching him, and almost immediately turned away, hoping to hide the color change in his face. "Wh-What?"

The Chinese cocked an eyebrow. "Are you going to open the door or not?"

"Oh." Horohoro forced a laugh. "Yeah, sure." He turned the knob, pushed the door open, and blinked when he came face-to-face with his little sister, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

Horohoro immediately knew he had done something wrong again, but before he could say anything, Pilika looked past him at Ren. "If you don't mind," she said, "I'd like to speak with Oniichan in private, please."

Ren glanced at Horohoro, trying to suppress a sneer but not quite succeeding. "Sure," he said, walking past them and heading toward the stairs. Looking over his shoulder, he snickered much as a young child would when his playmate wet his pants. "If there's a homicide investigation tomorrow, I had no part in it." He disappeared around the corner.

As soon as the other shaman was out of sight, Horohoro turned to his little sister. "All right, _Matakihi_," he said, "If it's about that hole in the guest room wall, that was Ren, not me. And if it's about the food…okay, _that_ was me, but I'll go buy some more tomorrow, I promise. And if—"

"It's about Ren."

Horohoro choked in mid-sentence and was barely able to splutter, "What?"

Pilika frowned, crossing her arms. "I'm not dense, _Yupihi_," she said. "I know what's going on."

"What're you talking about?" Horohoro retorted, trying and failing to stop himself from blushing.

"You and Ren," his little sister said. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at him these days. I could recognize the signs from a hundred miles away."

Horohoro shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know what you're talking—"

"Usui Horokeu, you _stupid coward!_" His mouth dropped open at his sister's sudden outburst. Pilika was looking straight at him, her eyes gleaming with frustration. "For heaven's sake, why can't you just admit it?"

The older Ainu shifted uncomfortably. "Pilika—"

"Admit that you love him."

Horohoro looked up, feeling a surge of cold and fear and a million other things coursing through his blood. He was glad that Ren could not understand what they were saying, and as he pondered his sister's words he felt himself grow hot with shame. The truth was that he wanted nothing more in the world than to divulge his feelings to the other shaman, to rid himself of this sickeningly heavy burden currently resting on his thin shoulders, but the fact remained that he…

He had been betrayed…rejected…scorned too many times.

"_Matakihi._" His voice was soft, and he refused to meet Pilika's eyes. "I…" His hands were trembling. "I can't," he said. "He'll reject me—even worse, he'll laugh. And I…I don't think I could bear that."

Pilika touched his arm, causing him to look up. Her expression had softened, and she looked at him with her simple, honest blue eyes. "You can never know until you try," she said.

He shook his head, finding it hard to keep his voice under control. "I can't," he said. "Even if I wanted to…"

Pilika straightened. "_Yupihi_, do you love him?" she asked. "Tell me."

He sighed. "I…" He swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Then don't be afraid," the younger Ainu said. "Talk to him about it."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Horohoro wanted to cry but forced his despairing tears back. "Because Ren—you know what he's like, how he's been brought up." His voice cracked and he said in a barely audible whisper, "He doesn't know how to love."

Pilika placed a hand on his shoulder, and when she spoke, she smiled with that simple sincerity that always reminded Horohoro so much of their mother. "Then teach him," she said.

* * *

When Usui Horokeu awoke the next morning and peeked out the curtains, the sky was again overcast. Watching the rainwater trickle slowly down the front of the windowpane, Horohoro sighed softly to himself. He had promised Pilika the previous night that this morning he would discuss the…_situation_…with Ren, but his courage seemed to have gone down the gutter along with the rain. Once again he imagined in his mind's eye Ren's mocking laugh, and shuddered. Horohoro feared many things, but above all he feared rejection.

Sighing softly and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he exited his room and soon found himself outside the kitchen. Stepping across the threshold, he immediately donned his usual cheerful façade as he saw Pilika and Ren seated at the table, already halfway through their meal—the rain had disrupted his biological clock once again.

"Morning," he said, crossing the room toward the table.

Ren, currently immersed in his latest novel, barely mumbled a reply. Pilika, however, greeted her brother with a brightness that was almost exaggerated. "Hi, Oniichan," she said, grinning. "Did you sleep well?"

"Great." Horohoro seated himself and began piling food onto his plate. A long silence followed as the Ainu finished collecting his lunch, and he was just about to begin eating when Pilika spoke.

"So?"

Her voice startled him so that he choked in mid-swallow. "Uhn?"

Pilika crossed her arms. "Don't you have something…important to do this morning?"

Horohoro coughed. "Er…" Almost involuntarily his eyes shifted to Ren. The Chinese shaman, perhaps sensing that he was being stared at, lowered his novel slightly and returned the look.

"What?"

Horohoro felt the blood rush to his face and immediately turned away. "Nothing."

His little sister frowned. "Oniichan, you promised you would do it," she said in a soft voice.

Ren blinked. "Promised you'd do what?"

Pilika cleared her throat. "Oniichan has something important to say to you," she said.

At this, Ren set his book down on the table and turned to face Horohoro. "All right," he said.

"Uh…" Damnit, Horohoro thought. This was definitely _not_ how he had planned it. "You see, Ren…" He swallowed, cursing himself because he knew he was beginning to blush. "I…er…"

Pilika frowned. "Just do it!" she snapped, irritated. Ren said nothing.

Horohoro took a deep breath. "Ren, I…" And that was the end of it. What courage he had managed to summon vanished immediately into the oppressive air, and suddenly all he wanted to do was to get out of the house, out of this situation and away from Ren. He rose from the table so quickly that he nearly knocked his chair over. "I…I'm going out." Not waiting for a reply he immediately spun on his heels and marched out of the kitchen. Moments later both Pilika and Ren heard the front door close.

For a moment both Chinese and Ainu observed a confused silence, but finally Ren turned away from Horohoro's now-empty seat and once again picked up his novel. "What the hell was that about?" he murmured. Pilika, sighing deeply, turned to answer him but saw that there was no need to; the question had been rhetorical, and Ren was already submerged in the story again.


	15. XV

**A/N: **The Fuzzy Period is over! Hurray! Thanks for all your reviews. Poor Horohoro, all you readers yelling at him to confess…

I absolutely _hate_ Yang Juhong (he debuts in this chapter). Man, if I could kill him, I would…_-pause-_ wait. I'm the authoress. Of course I can kill him! _–cackles and starts writing Juhong's death scene-_

Temporary brain lapse, sorry. I can't tell you anything about this chapter because it would just spoil the fun, but the ending of it's a bit angsty, I'll give you that much. Please don't yell at me too much for the ending…

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XV**

It was already late afternoon by the time Horohoro once again found himself standing outside the closed front door to his house. The rain had since grown from a light drizzle to a complete downpour, but he was relatively dry as he had spent most of the day out in the fields with a layer of ice above his head shielding him from the water. For several hours he had simply sat on the grass, staring at the water that struck the ground all around him, and thought about nothing but Ren and his own display of cowardice that morning at the breakfast table. What was so hard about admitting his feelings anyway? Horohoro thought to himself as he reached for the doorknob. Other people did it all the time—how else did humans populate the world?

Well, there was the problem, Horohoro realized. In other relationships, the man was the one who confessed to the woman—but in his case, it was not a woman. It was Ren.

Though there wasn't much difference between the two…

Chuckling to himself, Horohoro opened the door, and looking up was thoroughly startled to see two amber-colored eyes looking right back out at him. Tao Ren frowned and crossed his arms. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

Horohoro felt his cheeks grow hot. "Yeah, hello to you too," he managed to retort as he stepped uneasily across the threshold. He turned immediately toward the kitchen, but froze when he felt his jacket slip from his shoulders.

Turning, he watched in astonishment as Ren tossed his jacket carelessly onto a nearby chair. "You're so stupid, going out in the rain like that," the Chinese said. "What the hell was that row at lunch this morning for, anyway?"

Horohoro shivered at the inquisitive glint in the other shaman's golden eyes. Just as he had his puppy-dog face that could make even the coldest heart melt, Ren had a piercing look that had an effect almost like overdosing on truth serum. He hastily turned away. "Nothing," he said quickly. "Just forget it." He took a step toward the kitchen but was seized suddenly by the shoulder and spun around.

"No," Ren said. "I need to know _now._"

Horohoro sighed and looked away. "Really, Ren, it's nothing…"

"Pilika said it was important," the Chinese said, voice serious. "So spill."

The Ainu swallowed. "I…I can't."

"Why not?"

_Because you'll laugh. Because you'll hit me. Because you'll say no._

Horohoro hung his head. "I'm sorry, Ren."

Ren's hand slipped from his shoulder, and the Ainu looked up in astonishment as the Chinese slowly took a couple of steps back. His purple hair fell before his face, obscuring his golden eyes as he said in a low voice, "So it's true then?" His voice was steady.

His words triggered a tumult of confusion and hope in Horohoro's mind. So he knew? But…how?

Ren sighed. "It's true…that you…"

Horohoro held his breath.

The Chinese shaman looked up, and Horohoro frowned when he saw the hurt shining in those golden orbs. "You don't want me around anymore," Ren said in a barely audible voice.

For a moment Horohoro was so shocked he could not form words. When he finally did speak, his voice was choked. "R-Ren…"

"No," the Chinese said, shaking his head. "You don't have to explain. I know I've been nothing but a burden to you these past few months. It's just that…" He sighed. "Damnit, I thought we had something going there for a while."

"Ren…" Horohoro swallowed when he saw the hurt written on the other man's features. "Ren, no." He gently touched the smaller man's shoulder, causing Ren to look up. "I…that's not what I meant," Horohoro said. "You've got it all wrong."

The look the Chinese gave him reminded the Ainu very much of the old Tao Ren. "Could've fooled me," he said, though his voice shook slightly.

"No." Horohoro shook his head. "Please, believe me when I say that I want you to stay. I…I _need_ you to stay."

Ren looked up. "Why?"

"Because…" Horohoro swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Here was his chance; if he did not seize the opportunity now, he would never be able to do so again. "It's because…Ren, I—"

They both jumped when a violent knocking came from the front door. Ren turned from Horohoro and headed down the hallway, muttering, "Who the hell…" His voice trailed off when he opened the door.

Three tall Chinese soldiers stood in the doorway, dressed in trim military uniform, barely touched by the pouring rain. Ren immediately recognized the traditional yin-yang emblem sewn onto their sleeves, and glared when he saw the double stripe right underneath. These were no ordinary Tao soldiers—they were members of his father's Elite Guard. Ren frowned. Only several dozen men were ever qualified at one time to comprise Tao En's Elite Guard, and they were those men who feared nothing and cared for nothing. As a child Ren had often seen them patrolling the Tao mansion, though he had always been careful not to approach them. The stories he had been told were enough.

The tallest of the three men—and the leader, no doubt—stepped forward and offered a hand. "Captain Yang Juhong," he said.

Ren did not bother returning the cordiality. "I'm guessing you already know who I am if my father sent you," he said in a cold voice.

Juhong laughed, a hearty guffaw that immediately put Ren on his guard. The soldier reminded him immensely of a snake coiled to strike, and he felt his hand creep instinctively down to the folded kwan dao slung on his belt as he said in an even voice, "Why are you here?"

Juhong smiled. "You know as well as we do," he said.

The Tao was about to reply when they were interrupted by a third voice. "Ren?" Both Ren and Juhong turned to see Horohoro standing at the end of the hallway, frowning at the soldiers. "What's going on?" the Ainu asked. They had been conversing in Mandarin and so Horohoro had not understood a word.

"Well, well, well." Juhong chuckled, switching to heavily accented Japanese. "Who's your friend here, Ren-sama?"

Ren glared. "That's none of your business," he said, answering in kind for Horohoro's benefit.

Horohoro frowned. "Ren, just what the hell is—"

"This isn't your concern," Ren interrupted. "Just go."

Again Juhong laughed. "This is really too amusing," he said, and then addressed Horohoro directly. "You there, Bluehair-san," he called, "We're here to take your precious Tao Ren back to where he came from. Master En has called him back to the front lines."

Horohoro felt his blood run cold. "Wh-What?"

There was a flash of silver and Ren's kwan dao was poised at Juhong's throat. "I think I get to decide whether I go or not," he hissed, golden eyes glinting maliciously in the half-darkness.

To his utter surprise, Juhong only smiled without the slightest hint of fear. Indeed, none of the three Elite Guards seemed the least bit intimidated as Juhong said, "Actually, really, the choice isn't yours to make, Ren-sama."

Ren glared, applying just enough pressure on the tip of his blade to draw a single drop of blood from Juhong's neck. "And why is that, pray tell?"

Juhong's smile broadened, increasing in its malice. He seemed not to even feel the point of Ren's kwan dao. "Because we have been ordered by En-sama to bring you back, whether you like it or not," he said.

Ren narrowed his eyes and was about to reply but was once again interrupted. "That's bullshit," Horohoro said, stepping forward and bringing his ikapsui up. "Ren belongs here with us."

Juhong smirked. "So, Bluehair-san is a shaman too," he said.

"My name is Horohoro," the Ainu said, "And you'd better watch yourself because it's about to get _really_ cold in here." He took a step forward but then was suddenly surprised to find himself staring down the sharp end of Ren's kwan dao.

The Tao's face was dead-serious when he spoke. "If you take one more step," he said, "I will be forced to take drastic action. This is family business, so stay out of it."

Horohoro shook his head. "I'm not going to let them take you away," he said.

"Well, you've certainly a dedicated follower, Ren-sama." Ren turned to see Juhong still wearing that sinister grin.

The Chinese shaman frowned. "I didn't ask for your opinion," he said, and straightened to face the tall soldier. "You may inform my father…that I will not be returning and that he can rot in hell for all I care."

Juhong cocked an eyebrow. "Is that your final decision?"

Ren brought his kwan dao back around to face the Chinese soldier without even bothering to look back at Horohoro. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"Hm." Juhong frowned. "We don't take no for an answer, you know."

"You will today."

Juhong suddenly burst into a hearty laugh. Ren frowned. "What's so funny?"

The Elite Guard shook his head. "This doesn't have anything to do with your lover there, does it?" he asked.

Ren frowned. "What the hell're you talking about?"

Juhong lifted one arm and pointed. Ren looked and found himself staring at Horohoro. The Ainu, realizing what was being implied, immediately flushed a deep red, causing Ren to frown. What the hell was going on?

"You and…er…Boroboro, was it?" Juhong said, and shook his head. "En-sama will not be pleased…"

Immediately Ren spun as a million different feelings rose inside him all at once. "How dare you—"

"Tsk, tsk," Juhong said. "Who knew that Tao Ren, son of the honorable En and heir to the Tao empire, would turn out to be a _faggot._"

For an instant Ren could not even reply. Behind him he faintly heard Horohoro make an unintelligible croak before suddenly his own scream exploded in his ears. "_Kiisama!_" he yelled, hardly aware of what he was saying, his voice drowning out even the roar of the rain. "You fucking asshole! Like I would ever lower myself to that level!" Even before he had finished the last sentence, his fist had already slammed into the side of Juhong's face.

The Chinese soldier fell back onto the doorsteps, Ren standing over him, trembling with rage. The Tao's voice trembled with fury when he spoke. "If you don't leave in five seconds, I'll fucking kill you."

To his surprise, however, Juhong started laughing, and the other two Elite Guards joined in. Ren glared. "I'm warning you—"

"No worries, Ren-sama," Juhong interrupted, getting to his feet and wiping away the blood that now trickled from one corner of his jaw. "I heard you. It's just that…" He shrugged and pointed. "You sure you didn't speak too soon?"

Ren frowned and turned, confused. He blinked when he saw the empty hallway; Horohoro had disappeared. Looking down, the Chinese was astonished to see the ikapsui lying discarded on the floor. Where had that Ainu-baka run off to, and at a time like this?

Unless…

_I want you to stay. I _need_ you to stay._

"H-Horo?" Ren's voice echoed eerily in the empty hallway. There was no reply, and he felt himself turning cold. What had he done?

Juhong's mocking laugh broke into his thoughts. "Well, well, looks like I was right," he said. "Seems like you and Boroboro-san really are gay. Fancy that—the powerful Tao Ren, screwing a—"

Ren did not hear the rest because at that moment he grabbed the door and slammed it shut, turning the lock and then sprinting down the hallway. Within seconds he bumped into Pilika at the bottom of the stairs, looking very confused. Upon seeing him she immediately cried out, "Ren, what happened?"

He stopped in midstride. "Where's Horohoro?"

Pilika frowned. "He went out the back door just a few seconds ago," she said. "He looked like he was crying—"

Ren turned from her and headed down the hallway. Sure enough, the back door was ajar, but he could see nothing beyond the pouring rain. Turning, he yelled quickly for Pilika to keep all of the doors and windows locked before stepping without hesitation outside right into a wall of rain. It was like diving into a pool; within half a second he was thoroughly soaked.

He did not even bother closing the door behind him as he stepped onto the sidewalk, peering from left to right for any sign of the Ainu. Further down the street to his right he spotted a lone dark figure drawing steadily further and further away; immediately he turned and sprinted after it. It was not until he was about ten feet away that he finally called out. "Horo!"

Horohoro did not respond, only quickened his pace, head lowered and hands trembling at his sides. Ren ran forward. "Horo, wait!" He seized the other shaman's arm—

A brilliant white light exploded in his head and he fell back, stunned by Horohoro's sudden blow. Looking up, he stared in shock at the Ainu as Horohoro spoke in a soft, toneless voice. "You bastard," he whispered.

Ren swallowed. "Horo, listen—"

"No, _you_ listen!" Horohoro screamed furiously. "All these years I've put up with your insults and your abuse because I always believed that, deep down, you cared about me. But now I know that I was wrong. You care about no one, Tao Ren. You're just a cold, heartless son of a bitch, and I wish I'd never met you."

Ren felt a heat sting his eyes and was glad for the rain as he whispered in a choked voice, "Horo, I'm sorry…"

The Ainu's fist unclenched and he sighed, speaking in a halting voice as if he was trying hard not to sob. "Yeah, I'm sorry too."

The Chinese blinked. "F-For what?"

Horohoro turned. "For falling in love with you." He walked away, leaving Ren alone in the rain.

**Parting words: Umm…yeah. _–shifty eyes-_ Err…gosh Ren, why do you have to be so insensitive! _–smacks Ren and runs away from angry readers-_**


	16. XVI

**A/N: **I would've updated sooner, but I was on vacation. Kind of short chapter, again, but I like it. I've filled my cup of angst to the brim with this chapter…

Oh yeah, and I was just skimming through some SK manga summaries. Does Horohoro's father really appear? Because I would love to know more about him and maybe write him into a few stories. And how in the world did people find out Horohoro's real name was Usui Horokeu? It's never mentioned in the anime, and not in the manga so far as I've read. And what's the deal with this "five legendary warriors" thing? I think that's pretty interesting too…

I _still_ want to kill Juhong, but I can't because he plays an important role later. Damn.

Oh, and by the way, Ren has personally asked me to tell you all that he didn't mean what he said and he would like to stop getting beaten up by readers now…

**Mangymongrel**, I actually wasn't born in America, but yes, I was raised here. Three-quarters Taiwanese and a quarter Mainland, if you want to know.

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XVI**

It was well past midnight by the time Horohoro finally found himself trudging up his front door steps. He had been walking for hours, aimlessly, soaked to the skin, and now he was dead tired. As he fumbled in his pockets for the keys, he tried not to think about Ren or what had happened earlier that evening. Part of him was still furious at the other shaman's insensitivity, but another small part of him knew that he was the one who had been naïve enough to think that Ren could reciprocate his love. Tao Ren, who did not even _know_ love.

Horohoro sighed as he turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. Wringing some of the water out of his clothing and shedding his shoes on the doorstep, he headed up the stairs, intent on getting to bed while his limbs still retained the ability to move. However, he had not taken two steps inside the house before Kororo suddenly appeared before him, circling his head and squeaking frantically. Horohoro sighed. "Really, Kororo, now's not the time, okay?"

He turned once again toward the stairs but Kororo flew into his path. Her voice had risen to an even higher pitch, almost hurting his ears as she continued to flick anxiously left to right before him. Horohoro had never seen the Koropokkur so frantic; she seemed almost at the point of hysteria. Something was wrong.

"Okay, okay, hey," Horohoro said, extending his hand and allowing his tiny spiritual partner to settle on his palm. "You know I can't understand you. What's wrong?"

In response, Kororo flew out of his hand and up the stairs, chirping and clearly indicating for him to follow. Frowning, the Ainu did so. The moment he topped the stairs, he was surprised to see Pilika running toward him. His little sister instantly seized his wrist, pulling him down the hallway. "Thank heavens you're back!" she cried. "Hurry!"

"What's going on?" Horohoro asked, having never been so confused in his life.

"Something's wrong with Ren," Pilika said. "I don't know if—" She stopped when she felt her brother's hand suddenly snatched out of her grasp. Turning, she blinked at Horohoro's retreating back. "Oniichan?"

Horohoro did not turn around or slow in his pace. "I don't give a shit about that stupid prick."

He reached the door of his bedroom but then was startled when Kororo flew right in front of his face, squeaking furiously. Horohoro was so surprised that he stumbled back a few steps as Kororo hovered in front of him, speaking at a frantic rate, flitting to and fro, clearly very upset over something. Horohoro frowned. "Look, Kororo," he said, "I don't care about Ren anymore."

"That's not the point, damnit!" He turned, staring in shock at Pilika standing in the hallway, both fists clenched. The younger Ainu was furious. "You think we'd be so worried over something trivial? This is serious! Something is _really_ wrong!"

Half of Horohoro wanted to reply that he really did not care, but the other half began to feel uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" he asked in a soft voice.

Pilika's eyes were frantic. "We don't know," she said. "After Ren came back, he went into his room and locked the door. When he didn't come out after a couple of hours, I told Kororo to go inside and check on him, and when she came out it was obvious that something really bad had happened because she began acting all frantic."

Horohoro turned though half of his mind still wanted to forget the whole thing. He walked up to Pilika. "You have no idea what's going on?" he asked.

His little sister shook her head. "I knocked on the door but there was no reply. I'm really worried about him, especially since Kororo's acting so worked up."

"All right." Horohoro, however reluctantly, walked up to Ren's closed bedroom door and knocked. As expected, there was no response, and taking a deep breath Horohoro spoke. "Ren?"

For a moment there was silence, but then suddenly a voice they all recognized as Bason's came through the thin door. "Bocchama does not wish to be bothered at the moment."

Horohoro frowned. "I asked for Ren, not you."

"Bocchama is in no condition to talk to you."

"Why not?"

"He is…not feeling well."

Something in the spirit's voice put Horohoro on his guard. "Bason, what's going on?" He beat against the door as his body began to feel cold. "Bason! Where's Ren?"

"He is here," Bason said.

"What's wrong with him? Ren! Hey, say something!" When there was no response from the Chinese, his blows to the door became more persistent. "Ren!"

"I told you before," Bason said. "Bocchama is not feeling well."

"Open the door!" Horohoro yelled, slamming his entire body against the thin wood. "Ren, don't do this! Open the door!"

"Oniichan, what's going on?" Pilika cried.

Horohoro did not hear her. "Ren! Open the door _now!_"

"Bocchama does not wish to be disturbed at the moment."

"Like hell he doesn't!" Horohoro turned. "Kororo!" His spiritual partner obediently flitted to his side, and the Ainu pointed to the doorknob. "Freeze it!" The little Koropokkur did so, and the Ainu promptly kicked the door open. At the sight that lay before them, Horohoro cursed and Pilika screamed.

Tao Ren lay slumped against one wall, face down and unmoving. Everyone could clearly see the dark slash marks decorating the shaman's thin wrists, and the bloody letter opener lay only about a foot away. Bason was kneeling quietly over his master, head bowed, eyes closed.

Quickly Horohoro rushed to his fallen friend, pulling the matanpushi from his hair and wrapping it around one of Ren's bloody wrists as Pilika did the same with a strip of her shirt. Horohoro looked up, glaring at Bason. "You bastard!" he yelled. "Why didn't you stop him?"

Bason's voice was even, toneless. "This was bocchama's choice, not mine."

"Why?" Horohoro whispered, clutching Ren's wrist and cradling the smaller man's head with his other hand. "Why did you do this, you idiot?" Tears blurred his vision as he looked upon Ren's passive face.

"He will not go back." Both Horohoro and Pilika looked up as Bason continued in the same passionless voice, "Bocchama would rather die than go back. He does not wish to fight his father's war any longer."

"That's no excuse for this…this stupidity!" Horohoro cried, voice cracking. "Ren, you idiot…"

Pilika looked angrily up at the towering Chinese spirit. "Bason, how could you let him do this?"

Bason shook his head slowly. "It was bocchama's choice—"

"Bullshit!" Horohoro was stunned by his sister's language as she continued, "You think this is what Ren really wants? Do you?"

"I…don't understand."

"You _should_, damnit!" Pilika cried, struggling with her tears. "You know Ren better than we do—you of all people should know that he would never want to take his own life. You should've helped him!"

It took Bason a moment to reply, but when he did so, his voice was heavy with regret. "I am truly sorry," he said. "You're right. I should have helped him."

Pilika's voice softened. "Then help him now," she said.

Bason looked up, and for a moment there was silence in the room. Finally, the spirit sighed deeply as if exhausted. "Bocchama is still alive," he said. "The cuts were not deep enough. If you act quickly you might still be able to save him." There was a flash of red light as he melted into Hitodama mode and came to hover over Ren's still body. "I shall do my best to convince him not to let go." With that, he passed smoothly into Ren's chest.

Horohoro swallowed hard as he pressed Ren more closely to himself. "Pilika," he whispered, "He's getting cold…"

"He lost a lot of blood," Pilika said simply. "Come on, let's get him somewhere more comfortable." Picking Ren tenderly up, Horohoro followed his sister out of the room.


	17. XVII

**A/N: **Please forgive me for the late update. As I mentioned before, school started and I was swamped with work. But finally with the weekend I've found some time to take a breath and get around to bringing you the latest installment of RM!

Anyway. **Important note: **remember a few chapters back when I said I wasn't going to tell you what Horohoro did for Ren when he was having his nightmares? You find out what it is in this chapter. Also, Ren is rather OOC in the beginning of this chapter, and really the second segment is quite disgustingly fluffy, but there's still a considerable amount of angst in the end, so basically it should satisfy both angst-lovers and fluff-lovers.

To make up for being late with the update, I made this chapter extra long. Enjoy!

**_RESCUE ME: _****CHAPTER XVII**

_It was so warm, so pleasantly warm. Like how Jun used to hug him whenever he got cold. He opened his eyes to thank her, but blinked when he realized that it was not Jun. In the darkness he could barely distinguish the light blue hair, the dark lids._

_Horohoro?_

_Why was he…no…tired. So tired. Like he had been training a little too much. And it was warm…so warm…_

_Ren closed his eyes once again and drifted away.

* * *

_

Tao Ren awoke slowly to the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window. Where was he? It wasn't his room. It was…Horohoro's? What was he doing here? _Why_ was he here? After that night…wasn't he supposed to be…

"Bason."

"I am here."

Ren tried to turn but reconsidered when a wave of nausea tore through his mind. "What happened?"

It took his spiritual ally a moment to reply. "You made your decision," he said simply.

"Then why the hell am I still here?"

"Because…" Bason paused. "Because I asked you to stay."

Then Ren remembered. A realm of darkness, endless darkness, his body feeling amazingly light as he floated forward without aim. And then a hand reaching out to him, grasping his arm. Bason, asking him not to go. Asking him to fight, to not give up because he needed him. Because Pilika needed him. Because Horohoro needed him.

Horohoro needed him…and so he had gone back.

"You're a fool, Bason," Ren muttered, closing his eyes.

"Why? Because he cares for you?" Ren blinked and turned, fighting back the nauseating feeling as his eyes focused on Horohoro, standing by the bed, Bason in his Hitodama mode hovering next to him. The Ainu's voice was emotionless. "Because he would have cried if you had died?"

For a long moment Ren said nothing. When he spoke, he addressed his spirit. "Go, Bason," he said. "Leave us."

"Bocchama?"

"I need to speak with Horohoro alone." Bason retreated obediently, and Ren and Horohoro were left alone in the room. A long silence settled even after Bason had left, but finally Ren spoke. "Why did you help me?"

"It wasn't me," Horohoro said in an even tone. "Pilika treated your wounds—"

"I mean last night. In bed."

Horohoro's mouth dropped open, and he cast frantically around for an answer. "I…don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do." Ren tried to sit up but failed, struggling to push his nausea back as he continued, "I woke up last night, and you were…holding me." He tried to keep his voice from trembling. "Why did you help me, even after I'd insulted you? Why?"

"You were cold from loss of blood, okay?" Horohoro snapped, clenching his fists. "I didn't know how else to warm you up."

"Hm." Ren's voice was soft. "And all those other times?"

Horohoro looked up, flushing. "What other times?"

"I'm not stupid, Horo," Ren said. "I know you've done it more than once."

It took the Ainu a moment to reply. "Look, you…" He swallowed. "You had nightmares and you'd start screaming. I was just…trying to shut you up. There was no other reason."

"You and I both know that that's a lie."

Horohoro sighed deeply. "If you're talking about…_that_…it doesn't matter anymore."

"Yes, it does." He looked up and was startled to see Ren's eyes filling with tears. "Damnit," the Chinese cursed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. "I was so _stupid_ about the whole thing…god, Horo, I'm so sorry…"

"Ren, no…" Despite all attempts at stoicism Horohoro found himself by the other shaman's bedside, holding him as Ren clung to him, fighting back his sobs. "Please, don't…"

"I'm such an idiot," Ren whispered.

"No," Horohoro said, "Really, I…I should've tried to understand." All past anger was forgotten as he gently set Ren back onto the bed. "Please don't cry," he pleaded. "Please…it hurts me so much when you cry…"

"S-Sorry," Ren stammered, trying in vain to stem his tears. "Damnit, this wasn't supposed to happen…"

"Ren…" Horohoro swallowed hard. "Ren, it's all right, really."

"No, it's not," Ren answered. "Because you…and me…" He closed his eyes. "Damn. I need to be alone for a while. Please?"

Horohoro nodded, rising and heading toward the door, but something hit him and he turned around. "Hey, Ren?"

The Tao did not move, but he spoke. "What?"

Horohoro took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Now that you know how I feel…do you…feel the same way?"

It took a moment for Ren to reply, but when he did, his voice was tired. He sighed softly. "I don't know," he said. "Really, I just…I need some time to think about it. You understand, don't you?"

Horohoro was unsure of whether to feel hopeful or disappointed, but he settled for the former as he nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said. "But…you'll tell me when you decide, won't you?"

"Yes."

Horohoro turned and walked quietly out of the room.

* * *

Ren had not meant to fall asleep. He had meant to stay awake the rest of that afternoon and possibly the entire night so that he could think things over, but only a few minutes after Horohoro had left, he had convinced himself to close his eyes only for a few moments and had not awoken until morning. Now he lay back in bed, looking up at the ceiling, and picked up where he had left off.

First of all, there was the problem of Yang Juhong and the rest of his father's Elite Guard. If En had indeed given them explicit orders to bring him back to China, then back to China he would have to go, whether he objected or not. The truth, however, was that Ren did not want to fight again. He was tired of fighting, tired of the bloodshed, the screams, the pain of losing those he loved. He was tired of the bloody nightmares and the ghastly wails that followed him wherever he went. He had once convinced himself to go into battle in order to protect his family, but now he found that he no longer cared for the rest of the Tao line. None of them had ever cared about him anyway, except for Jun, and she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Ren did not wish to return to China; he would rather stay here in Japan, where he was wanted, where he was needed. Where he was loved. By Horohoro.

His thoughts shifted paths though a small voice in the back of his head whispered to him that this topic was best left untouched. He still found it hard to believe that, after everything Ren had put him through, Horohoro loved him. Everything Horohoro had said that night in the rain had been true; he really was a cold, heartless son of a bitch, as had been proven when he had made that tactless comment to Juhong. Horohoro had every right to hit him, to hate him—and yet, the previous afternoon, the Ainu had still been so gentle, so forgiving, despite everything Ren had done. Why was that?

Ren sighed, slowly sliding out of bed, grateful that the previous flood of nausea had now receded to a mere twinge. Walking slowly over to the dresser, he pulled the drawers open, looking for something decent to wear; his clothes from the previous night were clammy from the rain. He finally settled for a loose shirt and one of Horohoro's old pairs of jeans, and as he changed in front of the mirror he allowed his thoughts to wander once again.

What exactly did he feel for Horohoro? He had promised the Ainu that he would cogitate on the issue, and he was doing so but having trouble reaching a satisfactory conclusion. Love was a concept that was relatively new to him. Of course, he now suspected that the warm, friendly feeling he had for his older sister could constitute love, but he had never pondered the idea very deeply before. In all honesty he had always believed himself immune to this emotion because love was just not an important factor in the makeup of a Tao.

Now, though, as he focused on it for the first time, he realized that love and all its little hints had surrounded him all along, especially with regard to a certain Ainu. The way Horohoro had been looking at him the past few weeks, for example—it had not been the usual I-wonder-what-kind-of-prank-I-can-pull-on-him-next look, or the man-what's-up-his-ass-today look. It had been a look of want, of desire, and then of ultimate refusal and regret. Back then Ren had chosen to ignore the look, but now he cursed his own naivete.

There were the other times too, when Horohoro had asked him for that hug, or when he had refused to let go of his hand out there in the training field. And then, of course, the confession that Ren now suspected the Ainu had been trying to make that morning at the breakfast table and then in the afternoon when they were alone, but instead had blurted it out in a completely different situation.

So Horohoro loved him. Okay, he could live with that. It was just the question of whether or not he loved the Ainu _back_ that filled him with confusion. For a long time now he had noticed a certain…_feeling_…rising up in him whenever he looked at the Ainu for prolonged periods of time, yet he had always assumed it to be something akin to annoyance. Then there was that moment right after he had hugged Horohoro in this very room, when he had pulled away, looked into the Ainu's eyes, and felt his stomach do a somersault. Or when Horohoro had held him gently in the middle of the grassy field, looking like he was about to cry himself, and Ren had wanted nothing more than to stay there with him forever, suspended in that moment for eternity. Why did Horohoro make him feel this way? Why did the ice shaman incite in him strange emotions that no one else had been able to conjure before?

Was this love?

He turned from the dresser, but then noticed in the mirror the yin-yang Tao emblem blazed onto his bare back and was immediately reminded of the more urgent matter of Yang Juhong and his father's summons. The Tao Elite Guard never failed in its missions, and Ren knew that Juhong and his troupe would soon be back to pick things up where they had left off. In fact, Ren was rather surprised that they had not returned that night when he had been especially vulnerable. There was no doubting that they would return very soon, though, and so he decided that he would deal with them first and then find a way to sort out his feelings for Horohoro.

Pulling on the shirt, he kicked the dresser drawers closed and headed to the door. Opening it, he was about to step into the hallway when something caught his ear. Listening carefully, he heard the faint echoes of voices coming from downstairs. At first they seemed foreign, but before long he recognized them as Horohoro and Pilika's. Horohoro was shouting and Pilika was screaming, and Ren did not even have time to wonder why before he discovered the reason in a third voice that floated up the stairway: Juhong's. Before Ren could react, he heard Pilika scream again and then a voice that was distinctly Horohoro's give a cry of agony.

His entire body turned cold. There was no way…that anyone could stoop so low…

_We don't take no for an answer, you know._

He was halfway down the hallway before Horohoro's voice stopped him in his tracks. The ice shaman was yelling something in a language he could not understand; he could only assume it was the Ainu tongue because Pilika was responding in the same confusing dialect, sounding extremely frightened. Horohoro continued to shout, interrupted every few moments by a deep thud and a pained cry, and Ren could swear that more than once he heard his name mentioned. However, before he could advance any further he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and seconds later Pilika rushed up toward him.

Ren frowned upon seeing that the younger Ainu's face was streaked with tears. "Pilika, what's going on?" he demanded.

She seized his arm. "We have to go," she said in a choked voice.

Ren refused to budge. "Where's Horohoro?"

Pilika shook her head. "Please," she pleaded, "We have to go _now…_"

"No!" Ren yanked his arm from her grasp. "Not without Horohoro! Where is he?"

"Ren!" Pilika cried, half-sobbing. "Ren, please!"

He turned from her, seizing his kwan dao and taking the stairs down three steps at a time. Within seconds he burst into the kitchen, and his eyes sprang open as his worst fear was confirmed: the two Tao soldiers who had accompanied Juhong the previous night were standing in the middle of the room with Horohoro sagging in between them, Juhong facing him with his fist still clenched. One of the Ainu's eyes was swollen nearly shut, and dark bruises decorated his bare torso. A thick splatter of blood on the floor showed that the three Tao soldiers had been brutalizing their victim for quite some time.

Juhong looked up upon Ren's arrival and immediately smiled. "How nice of you to show up, Ren-sama," he said.

Horohoro lifted his head with great effort at the mention of Ren's name. "P-Pilika," he whispered in a hoarse voice, "I told you to…"

Pilika, who was standing behind Ren, swallowed. "He—He wouldn't listen to me," she said between snuffles.

Horohoro coughed and Ren bit his lip as more blood hit the floor. "R-Ren…"

The Chinese narrowed his eyes. "We're not leaving here without you, Horohoro."

"Well, how very sweet," Juhong said with a smile. "If this were a soap opera, I'd cry."

Ren frowned, giving the soldier his most threatening glare, and felt satisfaction settle in when he saw uncertainty flicker briefly in Juhong's eyes. "Let him go," the Tao said in a low voice, "Or I'll kill you all."

Juhong shook his head. "Orders are orders, Ren-sama," he said.

"I don't give a shit about orders," Ren said. "Let him go _now._"

"We can't do that," Juhong said. "Not unless you agree to come with us."

"Fuck you."

Horohoro lifted his head. "Ren, don't—"

He was interrupted when Juhong turned and gave him a rough kick to the ribs. The Ainu again cried out; immediately Ren felt his composure collapse as he stepped forward, crying, "Don't touch him! _Kiisama!_ Stop it!"

Juhong grinned maliciously. "Just come quietly with us and we'll gladly stop," he said.

Ren again bit his lip, unable to say anything. Horohoro groaned. "Ren, go," he whispered. "Please…"

"Shut up." Horohoro's entire body jolted as one of Juhong's fists slammed across his face, and he sagged even more limply in the arms of the other two men.

"Oniichan!" Pilika shrieked.

"Your choice, Ren-sama," Juhong said, straightening with a smile. "Either come with us…or watch your lover here die."

Ren gritted his teeth. If only he had known they were coming! If only he had been able to warn Horohoro…if only he had agreed to go with Juhong the first time…if only he had more time to think, to act…

If only he didn't love Horohoro so much…

Horohoro, hardly able to see through his one good eye, looked up upon hearing a strange _clang._ His eyes widened when he saw Ren's kwan dao lying on the ground, its owner standing over it, arms at his side, face emotionless. It took him a moment to realize what was happening, but when he did, his body immediately turned cold. _No, Ren couldn't…!_

"Ren, don't you dare!" he cried, shouting despite the flaming agony shooting up from his bruised lungs. "Go now! Please, just—" Juhong smashed another rock-hard fist into his stomach, completely knocking out his wind, and coughing he tasted blood in his mouth once again and struggled for breath.

"Stop." Ren's voice was flat and even; he sounded tired. "Let him go."

Juhong's voice answered. "So you've finally agreed to come with us, Ren-sama?" he asked.

There was a pause before Ren sighed softly and replied, "Yes. Release him and I'll go with you."

Instantly the two sets of hands that had been gripping Horohoro's shoulders and arms so firmly were withdrawn and the Ainu toppled to his knees. He strained to gather his wind, barely able to choke out his words when he realized what was happening. "Ren, you can't," he whispered. "You can't…don't leave me…" His tears were starting to mix with his blood.

For a long moment no one answered. Horohoro refused to look up. He did not want to see the victorious smirk on Juhong's face, or Ren's remorseful expression; he wanted nothing more now than to curl up and sob. He would not lose Ren again, not when he had just confessed his love for him. He would _not_ lose him again.

Someone took him by the shoulders and he flinched and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, ready for the next blow from the Tao soldiers, but it never came. Instead he felt someone gently tilt his chin upward, and a second later something warm brushed his lips. Opening his eyes, he stared in astonishment into Ren's golden orbs as the Chinese sighed softly. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before," Ren whispered, and before Horohoro had a chance to reply the Tao soldiers stepped forward and seized the smaller shaman by the shoulders, steering him toward the open front door. Ren allowed them to urge him on, looking over his shoulder at Horohoro, his eyes shimmering with tears, tears that now would never be able to fall.

"Ren?" Horohoro tried to rise but found to his disgust that his limbs refused to obey. "Ren—no, Ren!" He struggled to get up, to move, to do something—_anything­_—but his body would not obey his mind's screaming pleas. The three Tao soldiers and their prisoner had already reached the door.

"_Ren!_"

When the door closed, so did Horohoro's mind, and by the time Pilika reached him he was already unconscious.


	18. XVIII

**A/N: **My most sincere apologies for updating so late. Better late than never, right? _–sweatdrop-_

A _humongous_ thanks to **Nirah** for taking the time to review all 17 chapters of RM. All I can say is WOW, and thank you!

Please don't hate Pilika for this chapter. Please? I'm afraid I villified her a bit here, but it wasn't intentional…

This chapter marks the beginning of the end, by the way. Advance warning for you all.

Really long chapter. Hope this makes up for the late update!

**_RESCUE ME: _CHAPTER XVIII**

Usui Horokeu sat as still as he could, trying not to flinch as his sister tightened the bandages around his bare chest. Pilika sighed as she reached for a cotton ball and the bottle of disinfectant. "Really, Oniichan," she said, "Chivalry doesn't constitute this."

He did not bother to reply, and before long Pilika gave another long sigh of exasperation. "Oniichan," she said sternly, "If you don't stop crying, the disinfectant will wash off." She pressed the cotton ball firmly against the small cut above his left eye.

"S-Sorry," Horohoro answered, barely able to keep his voice steady, looking down at the bare kitchen floor. Pilika had long since mopped up the smooth tiles, but still here and there he could see the slightly dark stains from the blood that had been there not three hours before. The thought of the blood only brought memories of the pain, the frustration, and then of Ren, and before he was even fully aware of it a new stream of tears had been triggered.

"Oniichan…" Pilika lowered the cotton ball, gently touching the side of his face. "No, please don't…"

"I can't help it!" Horohoro cried between sobs. "Damnit, this wasn't supposed to happen!" The extra strain on his already-battered lungs only brought on a series of hacking coughs, and his sister quickly gripped him by the shoulders, forcing him back against the chair as he struggled for breath.

"Oniichan, stop it or you'll hurt yourself!" she cried with concern as she helped him steady himself. "You have to take it easy."

"I can't," Horohoro said in a ragged voice. "Not while Ren's out there with those…those _monsters…_" He clenched a fist. "You just wait till I get there…"

Pilika swallowed hard. "You're not planning on rescuing him, are you?" she asked.

"Of course I am," the older Ainu answered. "As soon as I get better—"

"Oniichan, listen to me," Pilika said. "Please…just forget about Ren. He can take care of himself, we both know that."

Horohoro shook his head. "I can't abandon him," he said. "Not after what he did for me…"

"China is closed to immigration, remember?" Pilika said, testing another path. "You couldn't get in, even if you wanted to."

"I'll find a way."

"Oniichan." Pilika bit her lip. "Please…you can't go. Ren is—"

"Goddamnit, why the hell do you care so much anyway?" Horohoro snapped, turning to glare at his sister. Immediately he regretted doing so when he saw Pilika's eyes fill with tears.

The younger Ainu's voice trembled when she spoke. "I…" She was trying not to sob. "I just don't want you to get hurt. Th-That's all…"

Horohoro kicked himself inwardly. "Pilika…" He swallowed. "Pilika, I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just that…I'm going through a lot right now, okay?" Reaching forward he gently gathered his little sister to him. "Don't cry," he said. "Please…I've had enough crying to last me a lifetime."

"You can't leave," Pilika stammered into his shoulder. "Wh-What if something happens? What if—" She was interrupted when a knock sounded on the door.

Both Ainu jumped at the sound, and for a moment neither moved, one out of surprise and the other out of caution. However, when a second knock came, more insistent than the first, Horohoro disengaged Pilika and rose to his feet, picking up his ikapsui. Pilika watched him with frightened eyes. "Oniichan?"

"Stay back," Horohoro said simply, walking slowly toward the door, his feet not making a sound on the wooden floorboards. Another knock came, sharp and adamant as the first two; it was clear that whoever was on the other side of the door was determined to be answered.

Horohoro raised his ikapsui. "Kororo," he whispered, and the Oversoul obediently gathered on the small wooden weapon. The Ainu stepped slowly up to the door and reached for the doorknob. Turning, he called softly to Pilika, "If something happens to me, be ready to run." Pilika, to her credit, nodded resolutely though her eyes flickered with apprehension.

Horohoro took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his ikapsui. Grabbing the doorknob he turned it, flung the door open, and immediately brought his Oversoul around to face the enemy.

The woman who stood on the doorstep gave a sort of startled cry at the sudden movement and stumbled back a few steps; Horohoro in his tense state would easily have torn her in half had it not been for the feeling of familiarity that rose up upon sight of her. For a moment the Ainu and the stranger simply stood where they were, one stunned and the other confused. Horohoro was currently wracking his memory for the identity of the stranger, who had long, dark green hair, sharp black eyes, and was dressed in a trim red qipao.

In only a few seconds he had it. Raising his ikapsui once again, he narrowed his eyes at the new arrival. "Gei Yin."

Gei Yin looked up upon hearing her name. "I know you from somewhere," she said. Her hands were trembling slightly but her voice was steady and unafraid.

Horohoro frowned. "What are you doing here?" He refused to lower his Oversoul, remembering quite clearly how dangerous the Tao assassin—_former_ Tao assassin—could be.

The Chinese woman straightened, looking Horohoro over carefully. At long last, she spoke. "Oh yes, I think I remember you now," she said. "You were one of Ren's teammates in the shaman fight. Hm…Boroboro, was it?"

"It's Horohoro," the Ainu answered in an even tone. "And if you don't answer my question soon, I'll make you disappear from the waist up."

Gei Yin walked slowly back up the doorsteps to the spot she had originally occupied, keeping a careful eye on Horohoro's ikapsui as she said, "Where's Ren? I need to speak with him."

"Oniichan?" Pilika peered warily over her brother's shoulder and blinked upon seeing Gei Yin. "Hey, you're—"

"Get back, Pilika," Horohoro said, and then turned to face the Chinese once again. "Ren isn't here," he said. "Leave."

"Not here?" To his utter surprise, Gei Yin turned pale. "I—I'm not too late, am I?" she whispered in a low voice as if she feared being overheard.

Horohoro blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the summons!" Gei Yin said, speaking fast. "Yang Juhong was—" She never got a chance to finish for at that moment a thick frozen lance shot straight toward her; she was barely able to duck out of the way. Straightening again, she glared at Horohoro. "What is the meaning of—"

"Don't move," Horohoro said in a dead-serious voice, "Or I swear I'll kill you, you damn Tao." Yugai must have sensed danger for she chose that moment to materialize by her master's side; Horohoro raised his ikapsui in response. "Your job's already been done," he said, addressing Gei Yin. "Ren is gone, so get out of here while you still have the chance."

Gei Yin blinked and for a moment seemed genuinely confused. Then a light came into her eyes that showed she finally understood exactly what had happened, and with a small wave of her hand she dismissed Yugai, straightening and looking Horohoro directly in the eye as she said in a smooth tone, "Horohoro, I didn't come here under En's orders. I came here to warn Ren."

"Hm." Horohoro did not lower his weapon. "And why would someone who once tried to kill Ren now want to help him so badly?"

Gei Yin frowned. "You were there, Horohoro," she said. "You saw what happened, so you should know."

Horohoro did not answer, though uncertainty flickered briefly in his black eyes. "Please," Gei Yin said, taking a cautious step forward. "If I can't help Ren, maybe I can help you. Can we just talk for a minute inside?"

When the Ainu still did not reply, Pilika shifted at his shoulder and, despite her better instincts, whispered, "Oniichan, she's right. We need to give her this chance. She may be our best bet at helping Ren." _And you can let her do the nasty stuff in China while you stay here safe in Japan._

After another brief silence Horohoro finally sighed and slowly lowered his ikapsui, dissipating his Oversoul and stepping aside to allow Gei Yin to enter the house. "If you try anything funny…" he warned.

"I assure you that is not my intention," Gei Yin said, stepping resolutely across the threshold. She blinked upon seeing Pilika. "And you are…?"

"Her name is Pilika," Horohoro said, closing the door. "That's all you need to know for now."

Gei Yin gave him a hurt look but soon regained her composure. As she walked into the kitchen, however, she stopped right at the spot where the sickening soap opera had played out earlier that morning. "What happened here?" she asked, indicating the dark spots on the floor with her feet.

"Juhong was being a bastard and Ren was being an idiot," Horohoro answered simply.

"I…see." Gei Yin turned slowly. "I suppose this is yours?" She was referring to the bloodstains.

Horohoro rolled his eyes. "No, it's the goddamn Easter Bunny's." He stepped forward, not bothering to offer any cordialities as he faced Gei Yin. "Let's get this conversation over with, shall we?"

The tall Chinese woman did not seem the least bit perturbed by his crudity. "Very well," she said, and took a breath. "I'm pretty sure you already know about the summons. In a nutshell, En sent his Elite Guard—his personal soldiers, that is—to bring Ren back to China at any cost."

"Why?" Horohoro asked.

Gei Yin blinked. "I don't understand."

"En has plenty of soldiers to do his dirty work," the Ainu said. "So why Ren? And why now?"

For a long moment Gei Yin did not reply. When she finally did so, her voice shook slightly. "Since Ren trusts you, I'll do the same and tell you the truth, painful as it is," she said, and looked up at the two Ainu facing her. "We have exhausted our resources. The enemy is beating at the gates of Shanjiang. We are…losing the war."

Horohoro opened his mouth to reply but Gei Yin cut him off, continuing, "En had wanted to call Ren back to duty weeks before," she said, "But Jun and I convinced him otherwise. We told him that if the situation really got desperate, Ren would undoubtedly hear the news and come back on his own to help us. However, even when the border cities of Shanjiang were overrun, Ren did not stir. We waited, En waited, but he didn't come. And so En finally issued the order." She shook her head slowly. "Tao En is very angry because Ren has made it look like he doesn't care about our family," she said. "He will be severely punished."

Horohoro reacted instantly, knowing what horrible things En was capable of doing to his son. "Do you know where he's being taken?" he asked.

Gei Yin shook her head. "I don't know anything about the order other than that it said to bring Ren back to China," she said. "Once I heard the news, I caught the first plane headed for Japan, but it seems I got here too late from what you tell me."

"Yeah, several hours too late," Horohoro said.

Gei Yin sighed. "I'm sorry," she said to no one in particular. "I came as fast as I could, but Juhong always seemed to be a step ahead of me." Her hands worked in her lap. "I wish I could do more to help…"

"Damnit." Horohoro slammed a frustrated fist into the wall, prompting a new wave of pain from his protesting nerves. "If only I could…" His voice trailed off and his eyes brightened.

Pilika was immediately put on her guard. "Oniichan…?" she whispered hesitantly.

Horohoro did not hear her, for he was now addressing Gei Yin. "You're an insider, right? For the Taos, I mean."

Gei Yin blinked. "Yes, I suppose so. Why?"

"Then you can find out where Ren is being held?"

The Chinese frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Horohoro shook his head. "Just answer my question. Can you?"

"Yes…given a little time."

"All right." Horohoro straightened. "China's currently barred from foreign immigration," he said. "Can you find a way around those rules?"

"Oniichan!" Pilika cried, "You can't possibly be thinking of—"

"Not now, Pilika." Horohoro was still facing Gei Yin. "Answer me. Could you sneak me into China?"

For a long time Gei Yin did not speak. Finally she said in a low voice, "You're planning to rescue Ren."

"Yes," Horohoro said.

"By yourself?" the Chinese continued, skeptical.

Horohoro, suddenly realizing just how big a task this could turn out to be, felt his resolution waiver a bit. "Y-Yes…"

No one said anything, and finally in order to break the silence he spoke again. "Look, I know it sounds impossible," he said, "But I need to get Ren back. I need—"

"Yes, it is impossible," Gei Yin interrupted. "You'll be caught before you're even within twenty miles of China. Then you'll be interrogated, beaten, and probably executed." Both Ainu, up to this point gaping at her in horror, were then surprised to see her smile softly. "But that is only if you're working alone."

For a moment both Horohoro and Pilika were confused before suddenly it dawned on the younger Ainu. "Gei Yin," she whispered softly, "Are you saying…"

"Horohoro," Gei Yin said, turning to face the Ainu. "I'll make a deal with you. Give me about a month to arrange everything, and I'll be able to get you into China all the way to the interior of Shanjiang. For that, I ask only one thing in return."

Horohoro watched her warily. "What thing?"

Gei Yin straightened. "That you allow me to accompany you."

Pilika shook her head slowly. "You'd go against the entire Tao family just to save Ren?" she asked.

"Why not?" Gei Yin answered, and then motioned to Horohoro. "He's doing the same thing, isn't he?" She paused, and her eyes grew sad. "Besides…Ren saved me once. It's only fair that I return the favor."

Pilika did not reply; instead, she turned to look at her brother. Gei Yin did the same thing, and Horohoro shifted uncomfortably beneath those two piercing sets of eyes. At long last, he cleared his throat and spoke. "All right, one month," he said. "But if you don't show up again, I'll hunt you down along with the rest of the Taos."

Gei Yin smiled. "You will find, my dear Horohoro," she said, "That Gei Yin's word is never be doubted." She turned from them then and headed for the door. "Within one month you'll receive word from me," she said. "In the meantime…I ask only that you pray for my success. I'll need all the help I can get."

Horohoro turned, biting his lip. "Gei Yin…" He took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"One month," the Chinese answered simply, and walked out.

Pilika and Horohoro were left alone in the room. At long last, however, the younger Ainu shifted and spoke. "What do we do now, Oniichan?" she asked.

Horohoro slowly sank into a nearby chair, resting his chin on his hands. "Nothing," he said. "We wait."


	19. XIX

**A/N: **I'm sorry I died with regard to the SK fandom. Naruto's just been taking up all of my attention (and fic-planning brain capacity) recently. But at least I'm still updating this fic, so please don't hurt me?

The next chapter or so is a regression for me. But that'll be explained in due time.

BTW, I want to thank all my reviewers for your support throughout the duration of this story. I just recently realized that I have 230 reviews for this thing (yes, I'm a little slow on the uptake) and that just shocks me. I've never gotten so much feedback before, so thank you! And shoutout to **Azalee** for the onslaught of Horohoro info. You rock!

Hope you enjoy this chapter. And thanks again!

**_RESCUE ME: _CHAPTER XIX**

The days dragged slowly by, and still the two Ainu waited. No news arrived from Gei Yin or from Ren, and before long Horohoro began to doubt the Tao assassin's word. He was glad that Pilika had decided to stay with him through this instead of heading back to Hokkaido; without his sister to calm his fears, he probably would have broken under the pressure of his concern long ago.

A few days into the first month found Horohoro hurrying up the steps of his small house, fumbling with his keys. He had promised Pilika that he would be home by six o'clock that evening to help her move some more things into the basement, and he was already twenty minutes late. Therefore, he was completely unprepared when the front door opened before him and he came face-to-face with Gei Yin.

Horohoro yelped with surprise and stumbled back a few steps before finally regaining his composure. "You scared the hell out of me!" he cried angrily.

"Sorry," the Tao assassin answered. Horohoro noticed that there were dark circles under her eyes, and wrinkles marred her usually flawless face. She had not gotten much sleep since he had last seen her.

"Oniichan?" Horohoro looked up as Pilika entered the kitchen. She seemed rather wary of the Chinese. "She arrived only a few minutes ago," the younger Ainu said. "I didn't know whether or not to let her in, but…"

"No, it's okay," he said quickly, and turned to Gei Yin. "Have a seat," he said. "Want something to drink?"

"Tea is fine," Gei Yin said, sinking into a nearby chair. Horohoro frowned. She seemed hardly able to balance on her own two feet.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked.

Gei Yin managed a tired smile. "I've been busy gathering information for our infiltration," she said. "I'm afraid I haven't slept much, but don't worry. I've been able to pull off jobs perfectly even after being drugged or poisoned, so this isn't a problem."

Horohoro took the steaming mug from Pilika and handed it to the tall green-haired woman, who sipped gratefully. The Ainu took a seat across from her and spoke. "All right, where's Ren?" he asked.

"Hasty, are we?" Gei Yin said, but then she smiled. Reaching into the small black handbag slung over her shoulder, she drew out several sheets of paper printout and passed them across the table to Horohoro. "I have some contacts high up," she said, "So I was able to get this info without leaving any fingerprints. Ren's currently being held in a Tao re-education center—it's where dissenters are held and forcefully turned back to loyalty, brainwashed if necessary."

"Brainwashed?" Horohoro repeated. "Ren—"

"Don't worry," Gei Yin interrupted. "Even En isn't stupid enough to try to brainwash his own son…but that doesn't necessarily mean he went easy on him." She tapped one of the pages; peering carefully at it, Horohoro realized that it seemed to be a prisoner record. "Ren's been locked in solitary for the last month, in the high-security sector of the Reshin facility. He's registered under Prisoner #404-A."

"Solitary?" Horohoro repeated. "What's that?"

"Just what it sounds like," Gei Yin answered. "The prisoner is placed inside a dark room: no windows, no doors, no sounds, no lights. After a while they start to break down." She fought back a yawn. "We'll have to be careful though," she said. "I've seen people taken out of solitary after only a couple of weeks, and they're already pretty much insane. I don't know what a month'll do to Ren."

Horohoro shook his head. "Ren is strong," he said. "Something stupid like that won't get to him."

"Hm." Gei Yin slipped a roll of paper out of her handbag and spread it out on the table. "Here are the blueprints of the Reshin facility," she said, tapping the map as she spoke. "We can enter through here, given a couple of distractions. After that, we make our way as quietly as possible to the main control room, where we locate Ren's cell number."

"I thought you said he was in the high-security sector of—"

"Yes, yes," Gei Yin said, waving her hand impatiently, "but he could have been transferred, my info could be inaccurate, the records could have been purposely altered—a million things could go wrong. We have to be absolutely sure for this to work."

Horohoro nodded slowly. "When are we leaving?" he asked, locking eyes with the Tao assassin.

Gei Yin smiled. "Our flight is booked for tomorrow morning," she said, and reaching into her handbag again she tossed a folded yellow envelope to Horohoro. Dumping its contents onto the table revealed several fake identification cards and forged documents. "Your name is Lian Zhiwei," Gei Yin said as Horohoro peered carefully at the picture on the ID cards. The hair was darker and the eyes more narrow, but it was passable with the blurring Gei Yin had used.

"You're my recently-hired personal bodyguard," Gei Yin continued, passing to him a plastic bag with a folded uniform inside. "That means you're supposed to be able to speak fluent Mandarin."

At this, Pilika spoke up for the first time, standing against the nearby wall. "That's impossible!" she cried. "Oniichan doesn't know a word of Mandarin!"

"Indeed," Gei Yin said, before turning to give Horohoro a hard, serious look. "So what do you do about it, Lian-_xiansheng_8?"

Horohoro did not reply, returning Gei Yin's stare. After a long moment of silence, the Chinese woman smiled. "Good boy," she said. "You don't say a word." Her eyes narrowed. "Remember that," she said. "If you say even one word, people'll know you're a foreigner because of your accent, and even I won't be able to protect you."

"I understand," Horohoro said. "Is that all?"

"One more thing."

"What?"

Gei Yin's smile broadened. "Do you suppose I could use your shower?" she asked. "It's been a couple of days and I smell like shit."

At this, Horohoro laughed for perhaps the first time in the last month. "Sure, it's upstairs," he said. "Stay the night in the guest room, in fact. We'll leave together in the morning."

"Sounds fine," Gei Yin said, gathering all the papers back into her handbag. "Thank you."

"No," Horohoro said, meeting her gaze. "Thank _you._"

Gei Yin smiled and walked out of the kitchen. Horohoro rose from the table and turned to Pilika. "I'm going to go pack some stuff," he said, and followed the Tao up the stairs before turning into his bedroom.

He was about halfway ready when he sensed a second presence in the room. Turning, he smiled faintly. "Need something, Pilika?"

His sister stepped slowly into the room, her eyes shining with concern. For a moment there was only silence. Pilika opened her mouth but then shut it again as if she could not decide what to say. Finally she picked out her words and spoke. "Be careful, okay?" she said.

The older Ainu did not reply for a long time. At long last, he straightened and walked up to her. "Come here," he said simply, gathering her into a warm embrace. He could feel her trembling against him as he whispered, "Don't worry. I'll be back soon, and Ren'll be with me. Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

"No, it's not," Pilika whispered into his shirt. "Gei Yin said that a million things could go wrong…"

Horohoro slowly separated from her, cocking an eyebrow. "You're going to believe someone who once tried to kill Ren?"

Pilika shook her head. "You know it's true."

Horohoro sighed. "Look," he said. "Things'll work out. Gei Yin and I'll be in and out in no time. We'll be back in time for dinner tomorrow, even."

"But Oniichan—"

"No." He shook his head, silencing her with a finger on her lips. "Don't. Just…wait for me, okay?"

Pilika swallowed hard, hugging her brother again. "Okay," she whispered.

The next morning when she awoke, they were already gone.

* * *

8 _Xiansheng_, when used together with a last name, means "Mr." Therefore, Lian-_xiansheng_ would translate to "Mr. Lian." 


	20. XX

**A/N: **Aren't you happy? It didn't take me a whole month to update this time! (Even though I cut it rather close anyway…) It's thanks to those people who kept yelling at me to update. Because I'm easily intimidated. –_sigh­-_

Anyway. I tried to make this chapter a little longer than usual to make up for my slowness in updating, but really it's up to you to judge. Next chapter is the action-filled one.

I aced my IB English oral presentation on Wednesday, and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Heh. Enjoy!

**_RESCUE ME: _CHAPTER XX**

Tao soldier Ming Sunmai blinked as his mistress approached. Behind Gei Yin walked a tall, lean young man, dressed in a prim guard uniform. His hair was a mess of spiked blue, barely kept under control by a simple white cloth tied around his forehead. His eyes were hidden by a pair of sunglasses and he walked with an air of pose and authority.

Sunmai turned to his partner, Wang Shuqun. "Ever seen him before?" he whispered, jabbing a finger at the man.

Shuqun shook his head. "Must be that new guy _xiaojie_9 was talking about," he said. "You know, the bodyguard? What was his name…Lang…Lan…"

"Lian, I think," said Sunmai.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Lang," his colleague said.

"I clearly remember she said Lian."

"No, it's Lang."

"Whatever," Sunmai said, rolling his eyes. "Don't know what he was doing in Japan though. Did she tell you?"

"Special assignment of some sort," Shuqun said before turning to the two new arrivals. "Ah, _xiaojie_9, welcome back."

Gei Yin nodded. "Thank you," she said, before indicating the guard behind her. "This is Lian Zhiwei," she said.

"See, told you it was Lian," Sunmai said to his disgruntled partner before turning to Zhiwei and offering a hand. "I'm Ming Sunmai, special adviser to Gei Yin. This here's my partner Wang Shuqun."

Zhiwei made no response. Shuqun frowned. "Hey, you alive?" he asked.

"Don't worry about him," Gei Yin said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "He's very…professional. Just lead us to the jet please."

"Of course, _xiaojie_," Sunmai said with an apprehensive look at Zhiwei. "This way, please."

"May I take this for you?" Shuqun asked, reaching for Gei Yin's handbag.

The Tao waved him off. "I got it," she said. "Just go."

"Yes, _xiaojie._" Together they boarded the plane. Once inside, both guards watched with interest as Gei Yin led Zhiwei into the private room at the back of the jet and closed the door. When the lock clicked into place, Shuqun turned to his partner.

"Do you think he does more than guard her?" he asked.

* * *

"All right," Gei Yin said, motioning for Horohoro to take a seat across from her on the small bed. "You didn't do too badly at the airport."

The Ainu shrugged, removing his sunglasses and glancing around the room. "Are these your personal quarters?" he asked.

Gei Yin nodded. "Every Tao higher-up gets a customized jet," she said. "And if you're part of the family, you're given several, in fact."

"Like Ren?" Horohoro asked.

The Tao smiled. "Yeah. Between him and Jun, they probably have an entire fleet." Reaching underneath the mattress, she grabbed another yellow folder and handed it to the Ainu along with a few photographs. "I could only find one way to get Ren out of China and back to Japan with relatively few problems," she said, "and that's to smuggle him along with some cargo on this ship," she said, tapping one of the pictures. "The captain's a good friend of mine. Shen Li, that's his name. He can get Ren all the way to Kyoto, no problems. As for you, you'll keep up this little charade and I'll drop you off in Kyoto to meet them within a couple of hours after I'm informed of their arrival. From there, you guys head off to wherever you need to go."

At this, Horohoro immediately shook his head. "I'm going with Ren," he said.

Gei Yin frowned. "Horo, this is not—"

"Stuff me into a crate if you need to," the Ainu said, face set. "I'm going with him."

Gei Yin opened her mouth to argue, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, she said in a low voice, "Why do you care for him so much?"

"Who?"

"Ren," she said. "From what I remember, you guys pretty much fought all the time. So why are you so concerned for him all of a sudden?"

It took Horohoro a moment to reply, but when he did so, his voice was small, timid. "Well…" He shrugged sheepishly, and Gei Yin noticed his cheeks tinted pink. "Things change. People change…and feelings change too, I guess."

"Hm." Gei Yin smiled. "All right. Well then, I just hope this mission will be a success."

* * *

The plane touched down within the hour and Horohoro followed Gei Yin into the airport, trying to ignore the odd looks he was getting from the two guards who had greeted them at the terminal in Japan. Standing aside while Gei Yin spoke with a Chinese man dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, he could not help but stare at the naked vastness of the place; it was so very different from Hokkaido—or Japan, for that matter. Horohoro wondered idly if Ren had ever gotten lost outside his house.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and, turning, he came face-to-face with the man Gei Yin had been speaking to before. Horohoro blinked as he looked oddly familiar. "_Genwolai_," the man said.

The Ainu made no response. Gei Yin approached them and spoke in a low voice. "He's asking you to follow him," she said to Horohoro. "This is Shen Li, the captain of that boat."

Horohoro nodded, realizing that he had recognized the man from the photographs Gei Yin had shown him on the plane. Together Ainu, Tao and Chinese headed out of the airport, boarded an old, dilapidated pickup truck, and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street.

Only when they were a safe distance away from the airport did Gei Yin turn to Horohoro. "We're heading to my personal stronghold," she explained. "From there, we can get our gear together and work out any last nitty-gritty details. We'll arrive at the Reshin facility by nightfall." She turned then to Shen Li, who was driving. "Your boat will be ready at precisely one o'clock?"

"Yes, yes," the captain answered, speaking Japanese with a thick accent. "Big boxes, no problems."

"You'll need room for two," Gei Yin said.

"No problems, no problems," Shen Li replied with a cheerful smile.

Gei Yin grinned. "You're a good man, Li," she said, and they both laughed. The rest of their conversation melted into Mandarin, and so Horohoro simply sat back against his seat, looking out the window at the blur of the city passing them by.

_Hold on, Ren. We're coming.

* * *

_

"Okay," Gei Yin said, zipping up her combat boots. Turning, she took up a small hand pistol and offered it to the Ainu standing next to her, dressed in the same all-black stealth uniform as she was. "You know how to handle this?"

Horohoro took the gun, peering at it carefully. He disassembled it, blew down the muzzle, and reassembled it again. "I might," he said, turning to look at the Tao.

Gei Yin smiled. "Well, that makes things a whole lot easier," she said, before curiosity got the better of her. "Where'd you learn to handle something like that anyway?"

"Here and there," Horohoro answered with a shrug. "I'm a fast learner."

"Hm." Gei Yin sighed. "Let's just hope we don't have to use it, huh?" She clipped her own gun to her waist before handing Horohoro a tranquilizer gun. "I'd much rather use these."

"Same here," he said, taking it and sliding it inside his jacket. "When are we leaving?"

"Soon," she answered. "A few minutes gained or lost won't make much of a difference. Ren'll still be there." She zipped up her jacket and checked her gloves. "You ready?" she asked, turning to the Ainu.

Horohoro sighed and scratched his head. "Let's just get this over with," he said. "The less time I spend here, the better."

Gei Yin placed her hands on her hips in mock-annoyance. "Hey, this is my home you're talking about."

The Ainu only shrugged. "Maybe I'll come visit after you've gotten rid of that psychomaniac named Tao En."

When Gei Yin answered, her voice was soft. "That may not be too long in coming."

Horohoro blinked. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Are you still losing the war?"

Very slowly, the Tao nodded. "Three of our strongest forts are under siege; one of them will fall within the week. Shanjiang's major cities are under constant artillery barrage—we're in a relatively rural area, so we don't need to worry about bombs dropping on our heads."

"That's a relief," Horohoro said.

Gei Yin sighed. "En will fall, of that I have no doubt," she said. "I just hope that someone strong will rise up to take his place. Someone who will lead the Tao family to glory again. Someone like Ren."

Horohoro frowned. "He doesn't want to fight this war anymore, Gei Yin," he said.

"Neither do I," she answered, looking him in the eye. "Neither does Jun, or Bailong, or every other soldier that's out there dying right now."

"Ren is not a coward," Horohoro said in a tight voice.

"I'm not saying that he is," Gei Yin said. "I wouldn't help him if he was." She looked up at the fading sunlight. "Come on, let's go." Together they headed out of the building to the Jeep waiting outside.

They rode in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Horohoro was focused entirely on Ren and what he might be like when they rescued him; if what Gei Yin had said was true, he could not expect to find the Tao Ren he knew and had come to love. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice that they had stopped until Gei Yin tapped him on the shoulder.

"We're here," she said, jumping lightly off of the Jeep.

Horohoro blinked. They were still in the countryside on a small dirt road, surrounded by trees and grass on both sides. "This is the Reshin facility?" he asked. "Is it underground or something?"

Gei Yin smiled. "No, it's several miles from here," she said, "but the guards would hear us coming if we took a car."

Horohoro's face fell. "We're _walking?_" he cried as he grabbed his gear and followed Gei Yin into the bushes.

The Tao assassin only smiled as she made her way forward and pushed aside a wall of reeds to reveal to Horohoro a small black raft with a motor in the back. "I'm not that stupid, Horo," she said, and nodded at the boat. "My own personal ride, built with a couple of friends. The motor's completely silent, so no one'll even know we're there." She tossed her bag into the raft and jumped in after it. "You coming?"

Horohoro sighed. "I'm not that great with boats," he said.

Gei Yin cocked an eyebrow. "So you'd rather walk…?"

"No, no," he answered quickly, getting in beside her. "Just…warning you."

Gei Yin glared in mock-anger. "If you need to hurl, do it over the side," she said, and together they sped off into the sunset.

* * *

9 _Xiaojie_ is a Mandarin term that is usually used when referring to a lady with respect. 


	21. XXI

**A/N: **Early Christmas present for all of you! Not only is it an early update, but it's a _long_ update! Unbelievable, but true.

The content of this chapter requires a bit of justification though. See, when I first started writing fanfiction, most of my work was about secret agents running around beating the crap out of everybody, with shootouts, car chases, helicopters, and all that jazz. It was, overall, very immature writing, but I discovered in writing this part of RM that sometimes you have to regress in order to progress. Therefore, a lot of the content in this chapter is reminiscent of my old action writing, and consequently it isn't all that great. Guess it's only fair to warn you.

With that said, do try to enjoy this chapter as much as you can. Hope you guys are having a fun Christmas vacation. I just got back from San Francisco, and I'm feeling pretty bad right now because I didn't get enough sleep in the hotel. But that's a different story. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody!

**_RESCUE ME: _CHAPTER XXI**

The sky was a dirty reddish-gray by the time Usui Horokeu and Gei Yin found themselves crouched in the shrubbery outside the gates of the Reshin facility. Horohoro frowned. It was a simple building, single-storied with thick steel walls and metal doors. Two sentries stood guard outside the front door while several others patrolled the surrounding area.

Gei Yin turned to him, her voice slightly muffled by the mask she was wearing. "Any questions?"

Horohoro shook his head, and Gei Yin nodded with approval before turning. "Yugai," she called, and her spirit obediently materialized beside her. "You know what to do." Yugai nodded and disappeared. Half a second later one of the sentries who had just been crossing the yard gave a surprised cry before doubling over in pain. A guard nearby turned his head curiously before diving to the floor as the first man opened fire with his gun, tearing holes into the walls of the building or simply firing into the air. He spun madly around and around, keeping his finger always pressed on the trigger, making odd sounds in his throat. The rest of the guards, including the two sentries at the door, immediately responded, rushing to their comrade, leaving the path clear for the two shaman.

"Hn," Gei Yin whispered with a proud smile. "Told you Yugai was good with possessions."

Horohoro frowned. "Don't blame me," he said, holding up Kororo who was perched on his palm. "Does she look like the type to possess?"

Gei Yin rolled her eyes. "Just do it already. We haven't got all day."

"Yes, ma'am," Horohoro said before lifting his palm. "Go on, Kororo." The little Koropokkur flew forward and in a flash a large section of the gate was frozen solid. Leaping forward, Gei Yin kicked the gate with as much force as she could muster. With a shuddering groan the icy metal broke and the entire section crashed to the floor.

Immediately both Ainu and Tao looked up, guns cocked, but the guards were still busy with their colleague and no one had even noticed the sound amidst the gunfire. Smiling at each other, Gei Yin and Horohoro crossed the yard, making their way quickly up to the front door. Once there, the Tao stepped resolutely up to the keypad next to the door and entered a four-digit passcode. There was the click of a lock springing open, and Horohoro reached forward and pulled the door open a crack, allowing Gei Yin to slip inside before following.

They found themselves in a long, bare hallway with nothing but doors on both sides. "Okay, we have to work fast," Gei Yin said. "Main control room shouldn't be too far from here. Follow me." Horohoro tailed her down several hallways until they arrived before a wooden door. Peering through the glass windows, both could see two operators seated before a wall covered with computer monitors, all apparently displaying various security footage from different areas of the facility.

Gei Yin turned to look at Horohoro, lifting her tranquilizer. He responded in kind, and with a nod from the Tao they kicked the door open and burst into the room. The two operators went down immediately, and as Horohoro hauled the limp men aside Gei Yin hurried to the computer, typing furiously.

"Let's see now," she muttered, peering carefully at the screen. "404-A…404-A…huh?"

Horohoro came up beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked. The screen was a confusion of Chinese characters and numbers.

Gei Yin frowned. "There are two prisoners registed under 404-A," she said. "They have the same records, and they've both been in solitary for the past month."

"A glitch, maybe?"

"No." Gei Yin shook her head. "Something's not right. They're situated on opposite sides of the compound."

Horohoro glanced nervously over his shoulder. "We have to hurry," he whispered.

"Yes, I know," Gei Yin answered impatiently. "Here, let's split up and explore each cell separately. We're bound to find Ren in one of them. As for the other…I smell a rat."

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Horohoro asked.

"I don't know." Gei Yin frowned. "Either way, you take Cell 81-B in the eastern wing, here." She tapped the screen. "I'll go after the one in the western wing. We'll meet down by the river where I left my boat, and from there I'll take you guys down to the docks to Shen Li."

"All right," Horohoro said. "See you." He turned and jogged out of the room. Gei Yin frowned once again at the computer screen before doing the same.

_81-B…81-B…_Horohoro frowned as he jogged down the hallways, glancing from side to side at the cell numbers. He was so pre-occupied with his goal that he did not notice the shadows approaching the corner from the opposite side. Rounding the corner, he yelped as he collided with two guards, sending them sprawling in a huge heap onto the floor. Instinct reacted and Horohoro slammed his fist into the first guard's face, knocking him out instantly. The other yelled something in Mandarin and reached for the gun on his belt, but Horohoro kicked out, catching him in the stomach and knocking out his wind. Leaping to his feet, he grabbed his own gun and slammed the butt of the weapon into the back of the guard's neck. The man's entire body gave a shudder before he slumped forward onto the floor.

For a moment Horohoro only stood where he was, taking deep breaths and trying to quiet the adrenaline rush that was causing his limbs to shake. There was not much time now, he knew. He had to find Ren quickly.

Not bothering to get rid of the guards' still bodies, he turned and continued down the hall.

* * *

The sound awoke him. It crashed in his ears like a thunderbolt, even though it could have been nothing more than a scratch on the wall. He had been surrounded by silence for too long.

Very slowly, he stirred and turned slightly toward where he thought the source of the sound was, though it was hard to tell because all around him there was only darkness. Darkness, darkness, darkness…

_(where am i oh yes i'm alone alone ALONE)_

Tao Ren blinked—or at least, he thought he did. It was impossible to tell because having his eyes open or closed made no difference in the pitch black that surrounded him.

_(poor little tao ren locked up in a dark room like hide and go seek little ren hm ? ok you hide i seek heeheehee)_

Suddenly the world ripped apart as a crash exploded in the room, and suddenly there was a white light. It was barely a crack but already it stung Ren's sensitive eyes with the force of a thousand prickling needles, and he gave an animal-like cry of terror and shrank into the corner farthest from the opening door, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

_(hide and go seek hide and go seek you can't hide but i can seek)_

The sound of shoes hitting the concrete floor erupted in his ears, every footstep a crash in his skull. There was another…thing…in the room. Something other than himself.

_(you can't hide but i can seek heehee little ren i found you at last)_

The voice came to him, eerie, distorted as if he was hearing it from a great vibrating distance, low and almost moaning. "R…en?"

All of a sudden it seemed as if his entire world was undulating, up and down, up and down, like disgusting ocean waves. And still the voice spoke, frightening him. "Ren? A…re you a…ll r…igh…t?"

He opened his mouth, and suddenly there was a new sound in the room. It was another voice, except this time it sounded a little bit more familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"Who are you?" The voice was high-pitched, terrified. It took Ren a moment to realize that it was his own, and another moment to notice that he was not speaking in Mandarin. What strange language was this? When had he learnt it?

"It's me, Ren. Don't you remember?" The strange voice was becoming clearer to him now, and Ren began to realize that it was familiar, though he could not yet remember to whom it belonged. He opened his eyes just a crack, trying to keep from being blinded by the light, only to discover that there was no light. A tall dark figure was standing silhouetted in white, facing him, blocking most of the stinging rays. An angel?

"No." Ren's head was pounding from the sensations of light and sound, both of which he had been deprived of for the past month. "No! Go away!" He closed his eyes and placed both hands on the sides of his head, shaking violently.

Suddenly he felt a new sensation, a feeling on his skin that hurt at first but then receded to nothing but a dull tingling. Then he remembered—it was _touch_, the sensation of _touch_. But who…

He felt something gently touch his lips, and then he knew that it was someone else's lips, and then he knew who that someone else was, and then he knew everything. His body reacted almost on reflex and he reached up, grabbing the not-stranger's shirt and pulling him down to deepen the kiss, all his senses coming alert and with them the memories that had lain dormant for the past month.

When they at last pulled apart, Ren blinked as his vision finally succeeded in focusing enough of the light to allow him to make out a decent picture of the man crouched over him. It took him a moment to recall the name, but it came to him eventually. "Horohoro…?"

Usui Horokeu smiled through his tears of relief. "Yeah, it's me," he said, looking down at Ren beneath him. The other shaman looked like hell: his face smeared with dirt, his purple hair dirty and unkempt, his clothing torn and ragged, and his golden eyes barely holding a glimmer of the life with which they had once overflowed. Reaching down, he gathered Ren to him in a warm embrace, trying to keep himself from breaking down altogether. "God, Ren, I'm so glad you're okay…"

"Yeah." Ren sighed, relaxing completely into him. "Me too."

It took Ren another few minutes before Horohoro was finally able to haul him to his feet and help him toward the door which he had somehow managed to force open after breaking the lock. The Tao had not been touched or spoken to in a month, and the signs were evident in his uncertain stride and how he leaned heavily on Horohoro for support. Under normal circumstances the Ainu would have considered making a crack about his friend's apparent weakness, but as it were, these circumstances were far from normal.

The instant they stepped out into the lighted hallway, Ren gave a sharp cry of agony as the light pierced his sensitive eyes, turning almost instinctively toward Horohoro and shutting his eyes. The Ainu instantly wrapped a protective arm around the smaller shaman and led him slowly down the hallway, and it was not until they had traveled several meters that Ren was finally able to open his eyes without pain. So they journeyed, and it seemed that the light and the free air were rapidly rejuvenating the young Tao, returning the strength to his weary limbs so that he began to quicken his originally dragging pace, relying less and less on the Ainu to keep him from slipping to the ground.

Only when he was able to walk by himself did Ren find the strength to speak again. "How did you find me?" he asked as they peeked cautiously around the corner before turning into another hallway.

Horohoro shook his head. "You won't believe this," he said, "but it was Gei Yin."

Ren stopped in mid-stride and turned to the Ainu, mouth slightly open in astonishment. "You can't be serious."

The blue-haired shaman only shrugged. "Hey, she was my only option," he said.

Ren's eyes narrowed. "Horo, she can't be trusted. Or have you forgotten that she tried to _kill_ me?"

"Yeah, well…" Horohoro sighed. "Look, even people like Gei Yin can change. Besides, it beats being locked in your cell for another month, doesn't it?"

Ren frowned. "That's not the point," he said. "If you—" He paused, his eyes widening slightly in surprise before narrowing in apprehension. Without a word he seized Horohoro's arm and pulled him into a darkened hallway, clapping a hand over the Ainu's mouth to quiet his protests. An instant later Horohoro heard what Ren's trained ears had picked up: the sound of approaching footsteps. He found himself holding his breath as two guards marched past them without glancing in their direction. Only when their footsteps had faded away and silence had settled once again did Horohoro dare to let out that sweet breath.

"That was too close," he whispered.

Ren nodded. "We'd better hurry," he said, releasing the Ainu's wrist. "How much further to the exit?"

"Just a little ways," Horohoro answered. "Turn that corner and it should be a couple of hallways down."

"All right." Together they hurried down the hall, skidding around the corner—and coming face-to-face with at least two dozen pistols pointed straight at them.

Immediately both Tao and Ainu came to a stop, staring in shock at the Chinese guards. Horohoro felt his head spinning with confusion. How had they known—

"Take out your weapons. Place them on the floor."

Horohoro jumped at the voice, and Ren felt his entire body turn cold when the slim Chinese woman stepped out from behind the soldiers. "Jun…" he whispered.

Tao Jun stood tall and resolute before them, her violet eyes cold. Beside her stood Lee Bailong. "Don't make me repeat myself," the daoshi said. Horohoro did not dare take his eyes off of her as he obeyed, unclipping his guns and setting them carefully on the cold concrete floor.

When he had finished, Ren spoke. "Jun, why…?"

When his sister answered, her voice was cold. "Because you are betraying our family, Ren," she said. Horohoro saw that she had not changed much during the war: her eyes had hardened and darkened in color and her hair was now tied in a loose bun, but otherwise she was the same as that night when she had left four years ago.

Ren frowned. "I am doing nothing of the sort," he said.

Jun's expression was almost as hard as her little brother's. "If you were truly dedicated to the well-being of the Tao family, you would have stayed in your cell," she said.

"Yeah, and go completely crazy?" Horohoro snapped. "How the hell did you find out about this anyway?"

Ren's eyes narrowed. "It was Gei Yin, wasn't it?"

To their surprise, Jun shook her head. "We are aware of Gei Yin's involvement in this," she said, "and she was duly captured and executed not five minutes ago." She continued smoothly on as if the news was inconsequential. "As for the information leak…many poor Chinese citizens are willing to trade intel for cash, and one of them is Shen Li, the captain of a boat you were apparently going to use to get back to Japan."

"No way." Horohoro's hands clenched into hard fists. "That bastard…"

"Why don't you just finish us off then?" Ren snapped bitterly.

"No," Jun answered, speaking slowly, her voice softening. "I am not here today to kill you."

"Really?" Ren cocked an eyebrow at the soldiers surrounding them, each of which had a gun pointed straight at the two shaman.

"I am here to deliver a message from Tao En," Jun said. "How you respond will determine whether or not you walk out of here alive."

Ren's eyebrow remained raised; Horohoro had to give him credit for being able to keep a calm composure despite being targeted by at least twenty pistols. "A message from _ba_?" he asked. "This just keeps getting better and better."

"This is the proposal," Jun said. "You have two choices. Ren can come with us, swearing allegiance once again to the Tao family and going back into battle, whereas Horohoro will be released to the rebels as a Tao spy, and they will deal with him as they see fit."

"What?" Horohoro cried immediately. "What the hell kind of deal is that?" He turned suddenly. "Kororo—"

"Your spiritual ally was sealed a long time ago," Jun interrupted smoothly. "Or did you not notice that one of the guards you beat up in the hallway had a mortuary tablet with him?"

Horohoro was unable to reply, and so Jun continued on. "We have recently employed several skilled Japanese spies, one of which's position has been compromised. We are in need of a…decoy." She paused. "At least this option presents you with a chance of survival," she said softly. "Your other option, of course, is to be gunned down and killed right here, right now."

Horohoro's mind worked quickly. Yes, the first option sounded appealing, but the truth was that it was only a thinly veiled death sentence. If Ren went back to war he would surely die, if not from physical wounds then from psychological ones. And Horohoro was not bound to get red-carpet treatment from people who thought he was a spy for their mortal enemies. So it really came down to a choice of die now or die later.

When he spoke, his voice was so steady that it startled even himself. "We die here, together," he said. "Ren and—"

"No." He turned, startled, and saw Ren standing beside him, face set and impossible to read. Very slowly, the Chinese shaman lifted his head and locked eyes with his sister. "All right, Jun, you win," he said. "I'll go with you. Do what you want with Horo—just don't kill him."

For a moment Horohoro was struck completely speechless. "R-Ren?" he finally managed to splutter. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Giving us both a chance," Ren answered, walking slowly forward toward Jun, who smiled.

"Thank you, Ren," she whispered. "I'm glad I didn't have to watch you die."

"Ren, you can't do this!" Horohoro tried to follow him, but found himself restrained by several of the soldiers, holding him down even as he struggled to free himself. "_Agh—_no, Ren! Ren!"

Tao Ren walked right past his sister, head down, Horohoro's cries ringing in his ears. "Ren, don't do this to me! Please!"

He heard one of the soldiers curse, and immediately afterward the Ainu gave a cry of pain as the soldier's knee sank into his stomach. "_Ahh_—Ren! Don't leave me, you bastard! Don't you dare—_argh—_"

Ren's hands began to shake as blows continued to rain down on the helpless Ainu. "Ren, _help me!_" Horohoro yelled, his voice hoarse and cracked.

Ren spun. That was it; they had taken this too far—he had to save Horohoro. Who cared if they got shot—

"Damnit, Horo, hold on—" But then he felt something slam into the back of his head, and immediately he sank to his knees. His entire world spun once in a slow, fluid motion, and he was barely aware that Bailong had probably struck him with a strong blow. Somewhere in the far distance he heard Horohoro calling his name, and then it all became black.


	22. XXII

**A/N: **Is it possible to forgive me for forgetting to update in such a long time? And even worse, to update with a short little chapter? And also to give you the bad news (or good, depending on your viewpoint…) that this chapter is the second to last?

Please don't kill me. I'm too young to die.

Either way, I really am sorry for the delay. I was kind of shocked at your collective, rather abusive reaction to Jun. I think it's because I already knew what was going to happen later that I didn't feel so badly toward her. Either way, there's redemption in this chapter. So can you forgive her? She's one of my favorite SK characters…

I suppose that's it. Don't want to ruin anything for you. Have fun reading, and I'll try to update sooner next time.

**_RESCUE ME: _CHAPTER XXII**

When Tao Ren finally awoke, he felt that he had had a nightmare, but could not remember what it was about. Still, the cold feeling in his stomach remained as he blinked, glancing briefly at the afternoon sunlight seeping through the window before slowly pushing himself up to a sitting position. In doing so, he realized two things at once: first, that he was in his own bedroom in the family mansion, and second, that his sister was sitting in a soft armchair beside his bed.

When he finally turned to focus on her, Jun smiled softly. "Good morning, Ren," she said.

He did not reply, staring down at the bedsheets as he slowly remembered what had happened. After a moment, Jun spoke again. "I'm very sorry it had to end this way," she whispered.

Ren looked up, and his voice was bitter. "It doesn't matter if you're sorry or not. That's not going to make things better."

"Yes, I know." Jun sighed, rising from her chair and picking up a small basin and a washcloth from the table beside her. Ren slid wordlessly out of bed, undressed, and allowed her to clean him, relaxing in the feeling of the cold water touching his skin. When she had finished, Jun fetched a fresh change of clothes from his closet and helped him dress. Only when all of this had been completed did she speak again.

"You know that _ba_ wanted to have Horohoro killed on sight," she murmured.

It took Ren a moment to reply. "I was rather surprised he didn't give the order," he said. "What changed his mind?"

"I asked him not to," Jun answered, earning a surprised look from her brother. The daoshi smiled halfheartedly. "I persuaded _ba_ that Horo would serve more use as a fake spy. I actually didn't expect him to listen to me, but apparently he did."

For perhaps the first time since he had awoken, Ren looked straight at his sister. "Why do you care about him?" he asked.

Jun cocked an eyebrow. "Why do you?" she asked. "Or for that matter, why does he care about you?" When Ren did not reply, she continued in a soft voice, "I remember back in the shaman tournament days, all you guys did was insult each other and fight."

Ren sighed. "We were still friends," he said.

"Yes," Jun agreed. "Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten sliced nearly in half in order to save him." She paused. "Still, I don't understand why _he's_ here."

The younger Tao looked up. "What do you mean?"

Jun shrugged. "He enlists the help of a former enemy, breaks at least a dozen international laws by sneaking into China during a time of war, defies the entire Tao clan, and breaks into a high-security Tao facility—all to get you out. Why is that?" When Ren made no reply, Jun continued slowly, "I can understand that you are friends, but then why didn't Yoh and the others accompany him?" She paused. "Unless I'm missing something. Unless you're…more than friends."

Still her brother said nothing. He was now staring across the room at the opposite wall, at nothing. Jun saw that his hands were shaking. When she finally spoke, she was careful to keep her voice low. "He loves you, doesn't he?"

Ren's reply after a moment's pause was equally soft. "Yes."

"And do you—"

"Yes." Slowly Ren turned to see his sister staring at him with a surprised expression on her face. He frowned, and when he spoke, his voice was hard. "If you wish, go tell _ba_ and have me executed. I don't care anymore."

For a long moment Jun said nothing, only continued to stare at her brother. At long last, though, her face softened and she smiled quietly. Very slowly she walked up to Ren until she was standing right in front of him, arms crossed, and opened her mouth. Inwardly Ren flinched, waiting for his death sentence.

"To the best of my knowledge," Jun said, speaking slowly, "Horohoro was released to the rebels about six hours ago, and he should by now be in the city of Liuchuan, where the largest rebel POW camp is located. I'm sure you'll remember it—it's the same one you were sent to." Ren looked up, shocked, but Jun only continued in the same cool voice. "Liuchuan is not that far from here. You can reach it in four hours on foot."

Ren suddenly found it hard to speak. "Jun—"

His sister turned from him and walked over to the corner, where she picked up his folded kwan dao and tossed it across the room to him. "I wasn't able to get a hold of the Horaiken, and Bason's been sealed away, so this is the best that I can do," she said. "I hope it'll be enough. You shouldn't have too much trouble, though. The camp's lost a lot of security since I wrecked it."

For some reason, tears began to form in Ren's eyes. "Jun—"

"Finding blueprints of the camp and ironing out the details will take too long, so you'll have to go blind on this one," his sister continued, plowing smoothly over him. "Horohoro should still be alive, since the rebels will believe that they can get valuable information out of him. You'll have to hurry though, because soon they'll start treating him the same way they treated you."

"Jun." Ren swallowed. "Jun, you don't have to do this."

His sister sighed, smiling softly. "I know," she said. "I don't have to. But I want to."

"Why?"

Jun's eyes saddened. "Ren, you know we're losing the war," she said. "The way things stand now, the Taos are going down no matter what happens."

Ren frowned. "_Ba_ will not be happy with this," he whispered.

His sister only shrugged. "I'll deal with that on my own," she said. "Now are you going or not?" She crossed the room and unlocked the door. "I'm supposed to be guarding you," she said with a bittersweet smile. "Looks like I'm not doing a very good job of it."

Ren did not answer, picking up his kwan dao and walking across the room toward the door she now held open for him. However, just when he was about to step outside, he stopped. "Jun."

She turned to face him. "What?" Suddenly his fist came around and smashed her across the face. She fell against the wall, dazed, before sinking to the floor, gingerly holding her cheek. She looked up at her brother in shock. "Ren—"

Already he was kneeling before her, checking to make sure he had not done too much damage. There was some swelling and redness, but otherwise she was fine. "You tell _ba_ that I fought you and escaped," he said. "If he believes you, you'll be spared."

Jun swallowed hard, determined to keep her tears back and appear strong for her brother. "Take care of yourself, Ren," she said. "And don't die, okay?"

He gave her a quick embrace. "Same to you." And then he was gone.


	23. Finale

**A/N: **Well, the website isn't quite ready to debut yet but most of the stuff is finished, and since my conscience _really_ started to get to me concerning all my readers who have followed me all through this fic and now are being unfairly stood up, I have decided to break my hiatus. With respect to that, I extend my sincerest apologies to anyone who has been offended by the insanely long wait; I had intended to debut our website with the final chapter of RM, but I guess that's not going to happen.

Please note, though, that I do plan to debut the website with my next upcoming RenHoro fic, "Eternity in an Hour." Please keep an eye out for it in the near future.

With that said, then, on to this chapter. It is, as hinted before, the **final chapter** of this story! That means that yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am FINISHED. What a relief, huh?

Specifics about the content: I played with the mood and the atmosphere quite a bit in an attempt to keep you guessing as to how things will turn out. In the end, though, everything is final; don't bug me about it. Though I will say right now that if you're curious, just think about what kind of writer I am; I don't change. That should answer all your questions and predict the ending of this story for you.

Finally, I would like to thank all of my wonderful readers (yes, that means you!), especially those who have faithfully stuck with me through the entirety of this monstrously long story. Your reviews and comments really make my day, and inspire me to continue writing, so THANK YOU for all your support! It's people like you who make us authors truly happy.

I leave you now with sincere apologies and even more sincere thanks. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and I hope to see you all at the debut of "Eternity in an Hour!" _-MeeLee_

**_RESCUE ME:_ FINALE**

_Drip, drip, drip._ Usui Horokeu wanted to yell at that stupid leak to shut up, but he knew that that would not do anything. In fact, he was not even sure if it _was_ a leak in the wall, or whether it was simply his own blood from the beating he had gotten not a few minutes ago.

He coughed, slowly pulling himself to a kneeling position. His cell was completely dark, just like—no. He was not going to take that direction of thought. Ren was safe for the moment, and that was all the mattered.

Pressing a hand to his head in an attempt to quiet the pounding in his skull, Horohoro tried to remember what had happened. After seeing Ren stricken down by Bailong and then carried away by the kyonshi and his daoshi master, Horohoro had been dragged roughly outside the facility, where he had been loaded onto a truck and blindfolded. After about an hour-long drive, someone had struck him in the head with something, causing him to black out, and he had awoken in this place, which to the best of his knowledge was a POW camp. At least, they treated people here like POWs—which was precisely why he currently felt like he had just been through several cycles in a washing machine.

Horohoro coughed again, tasting blood in his mouth. He had been here for several hours already, and had already been through three brutal interrogations. Being Japanese and thus unable to speak a word of Mandarin did not help the situation either. The rebels had managed to secure a translator, but his Japanese was choppy at best and Horohoro suspected that he was only telling his employers what was necessary to make them continue beating their victim. The Ainu gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. This was not fair—if he told them the truth, they beat him, and if he lied, they still beat him. It was a lose-lose situation.

Well, not entirely, he reflected. At least they hadn't raped him like they had Ren. Yet.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his cell suddenly gave a low rumble. He blinked, turning slightly toward the sound, trying to open his eyes fully which was rather hard because they were swelling. The door gave another rumble, and suddenly there was a loud crash as the padlock on the outside broke. An instant later the door swung wide open, bathing the Ainu in light.

He barely had time to blink before someone called his name and rushed inside, dragging him to his feet. He would have struggled had he not recognized the voice. "Ren…?"

"Yeah." The young Tao swallowed hard. Horohoro was in bad shape, his eyes blackened, blood flowing from endless cuts, his body bruised and broken.

When the Ainu spoke, his voice was choked with blood. "What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, what do you think?" Ren snapped. "Now come on, can you get up?" He slung one of Horohoro's arms over his shoulder and helped the Ainu up, propping them both up with his kwan dao. "We have to hurry. Someone must have heard me break the lock."

"I don't understand," Horohoro said as they made their way slowly down the hall. "How did you escape from En?"

"Had a little help from my sister," Ren answered.

Horohoro blinked. "What? But didn't she—"

"I changed her mind."

Suddenly the Ainu understood. "You told her," he said in a low voice.

"Yes." Ren said no more, peeking carefully around the corner before helping Horohoro along, pulling him into a partially open door. They found themselves standing before a ladder leading upwards toward a hatch in the ceiling.

"Up there?" Horohoro asked, looking uncertainly at the ladder.

"Yeah." When Ren saw the Ainu's hesitant look, he frowned. "What, you afraid of heights?"

"N-No," Horohoro lied.

Ren rolled his eyes. "You go first then," he said, giving his friend a small push toward the ladder. "I'll be underneath you, so if you fall, you'll fall on me."

At this, the Ainu could not help but grin. "Man, I wish we were back home," he said, "because you have no idea how dirty that sounded."

Ren blushed. "Just go!" he snapped. Horohoro chuckled despite his painful condition and obeyed, making his way slowly up the rusty metal ladder. When he reached the hatch, he heard Ren say from beneath him, "Turn the handle clockwise twice and then push up. Make sure there aren't any sentries when you go out." Horohoro nodded, doing as the Tao said and eventually pushing the hatch open. He frowned at the darkness outside. "Ren, the sky is overcast."

"I don't give a shit. Hurry up."

"But that means it'll rain soon—"

"Horo, don't make me shove my kwan dao up your ass! Get moving!" Ren snapped angrily.

At this, the Ainu turned with a mischievous glint in his eye. "You can always shove something else up my ass," he said.

He laughed as Ren blushed for the second time in the last minute. "Usui Horokeu, if you don't get moving right now, I swear I'm going to—"

But Horohoro was already out, blinking at the half-darkness, leaning heavily on the concrete base beside him to keep himself from falling. They were in a rather densely forested area, and he could see no guards. Turning, he watched as Ren sprang lithely out of the open hatch, closing it firmly behind him. The Tao quickly came up to him, allowing the Ainu to lean on him again as they headed for the woods.

They walked for a few moments in silence before Ren finally whispered, "There's a river not far from here. If we cross it, we'll be at the ocean in about a day. From there, I guess we'll have to find a boat."

"Better not be Shen Li's boat," Horohoro growled.

"I'll think of something," Ren answered, and frowned when he felt Horohoro grow heavier on his shoulder. "Horo, you all right?"

"Y-Yeah," the Ainu answered. "Just…a little tired, that's all…" But Ren knew that he was lying when all of a sudden his feet gave out beneath him and he sank to the floor.

"Horo!" Ren bent down, but recoiled from touching him when the Ainu began to cough violently. Blood hit the floor, and Ren bit his lip. "Are you okay?"

The Ainu waved him off. "Fine," he whispered in a hoarse voice. "Really. D-Don't worry…"

Ren pressed a hand to his friend's forehead and frowned. "You're not fine!" he snapped. "You're burning up. We'd better—" The bushes rustled, and Ren stopped in midsentence. Horohoro looked up, fighting against the dark spots that were beginning to gather before his eyes, and saw several dozen men step out of the forest and into the clearing in which they were currently standing. They were armed and dressed in neat uniforms—an entire battalion of rebel troops.

For a moment the soldiers seemed just as shocked to see the two shaman as the two shaman were to see them, but then suddenly there came another voice. "Well, well, well," it said, and a tall man stepped out from within the ranks of the soldiers. He wore several medals on his arm, proclaiming his superiority to the rest of the soldiers—Ren recognized him as a captain.

"What have we got here?" the captain said, peering down at the Ainu curled up, bleeding, on the ground, and the Chinese standing protectively over him. "A foreigner and…" He blinked when he got his first close look at Ren. "Why, look here!" he cried. "My, I do believe this is a Tao!"

Ren slowly brought his kwan dao up, glaring at the rebel captain. "My name is Tao Ren," he said, "son of Tao En and heir to the throne. And you and your troops will move aside right now and let us pass, or you'll live to regret it."

At this, the captain broke into a hearty laugh. "My dear Master Tao," he said, "I do believe you're a little outnumbered, aren't you?"

Ren's eyes narrowed. "That never stopped me before."

Horohoro struggled to rise but found his limbs unwilling to move. "Ren," he whispered, "Ren, what's happening?" The two Chinese had been speaking in Mandarin, and though he could not understand the words, he could recognize the characteristic coldness in Ren's voice, along with a certain mocking tone in the soldier's voice that reminded him of Yang Juhong.

Ren ignored him. The conversation continued between the Tao and the rebel soldier, and Horohoro began to grow uncomfortable as voices rose and tensions heightened. He opened his mouth to speak again, but found to his disgust that blood had almost completely clogged his throat. Looking up, he beat against the darkness seeping into his eyes—he could not black out, not at a time like this. Not when Ren needed him.

But already the darkness before him was growing, and even as he faded away he thought he heard from far away the cries of men and the sound of gunshots.

* * *

My name is Tao Ren.

_Drip, drip._

_It sounded like the rain, but the air was dry. It was not the rain. It was him. Him, and the people he had killed._

_He wanted to move, but he also did not want to. It was so peaceful here, lying on his back, looking up at the gray sky. He wished he could see the sun, but there were only clouds. But that was okay. He liked gloomy days. He had been raised that way._

My name is Tao Ren. I am dying.

_He was tiring of the gray, and so he closed his eyes, and went to black. Yes, this was even more peaceful, the black was good. He liked the black. And no more red, either. That was good._

_Drip…_

_Still the black, still the peace. Then…black is going. Where is the black going? And what is coming?_

My n…is T…Ren.

_Nothing. Nothing is coming. But this nothing is good too. Isn't it?_

_Isn't it?_

I am…yi…n…g…

_Isn't it?

* * *

_

The rain woke him, the cold droplets bombarding his face like so many tiny needles. Usui Horokeu jerked in his sleep and suddenly came awake, gasping for breath and curling instinctively into a ball. His thin clothes were soaked through, and despite his Ainu background, he was freezing.

He stayed in that fetal position for a few moments, trying to gather his thoughts and overcome his sudden dizziness. At long last, he managed to open his eyes, pushing himself up on his arms, and nearly screamed when a flash of lightning revealed the scene before him.

The entire clearing was littered with dead bodies. Puddles of dark blood decorated the floor, and several of the men had been slashed completely apart. The lightning from above flashed on broken blades and cracked guns, and peering into the darkness through the rain, Horohoro could see no end to this field of corpses.

Very slowly, he hauled himself to his feet, rubbing his arms in a feeble attempt to warm himself as he limped forward, one tiny step at a time. "Ren?" His voice was weak and small. "Ren!" he called again. There was no response, and he continued forward, staring in shock at the death that surrounded him. "Ren!"

Body upon body…rivers of blood…_drip drip drip_…

"Ren!"

Dark wounds…mouths open in silent screams…eyes blank and dead…

"Ren!"

He stopped when his foot kicked against another body. Looking down, he was stunned to see the face of the soldier Ren had been talking with before. Dark blood was still flowing from the large wound in his chest, and peering closely, Horohoro suddenly saw that the blade of Ren's kwan dao was still buried in the wound. The handle had been broken off only a few inches above the blade.

Feeling his blood run cold, Horohoro ran forward. "_Ren!_" His feet gave out beneath him and he slammed into the floor, crying out as sore nerves screamed in agony. Gritting his teeth as the blood began to flow, he slowly lifted his head, blinking as he struggled to peer through the thick wall of rain. And then he saw him.

"R-Ren…" Lying half-turned on the wet ground, Ren made no response. Reaching forward, Horohoro grabbed at the ground with his hands and dragged himself slowly forward along the ground toward the fallen Tao. After several agonizing minutes that dragged by like centuries, he finally reached his friend.

"Ren?" Slowly he managed to bring himself to a sitting position and, bending down, he gently gathered the young Tao into his arms. "Ren, you okay? Hey, wake up." But Ren did not move and his eyes remained closed. Quickly Horohoro scanned him, and saw to his horror that blood was flowing freely from several gunshot wounds, two of which were in Ren's chest. "Hey, Ren. Ren?"

Still the Tao did not move, and when Horohoro touched his face, he found that the skin was cold. "Ren," he whispered, gently shaking the other shaman. "Ren, this isn't funny. Wake up now." For some reason, tears began to flow down Horohoro's face. Why was he crying? Ren was alive, after all. He just needed a little rest, that was all.

"Ren, come on. We have to get out of here before more of those soldiers come. Please, Ren?"

No answer. Ren remained there in his arms, cold and unmoving.

"Ren…"

No. Ren was alive, he was _alive._

"Ren!"

Alive, yes, he was _alive_, he had to be alive, Tao Ren could not die.

"_Ren!_"

_Please, Ren, don't leave me…I love you…_

Horohoro slowly hugged the cold body to himself, sobbing. Ren could not die…not now, when there was so much ahead of them…

Lightning flashed again, and a glimmer of silver at the very corner of his peripheral vision caught his attention. Turning, he was surprised to see the small dagger clutched in the rebel captain's hand, lying not far away. For a moment Horohoro only stared at the tiny weapon, before slowly reaching toward it.

About an hour later, the rain finally stopped and the clouds dissolved away. The sun peeked through, and a cool breeze began to blow. Eventually a small group of rebel scouts passed through the area, stopping to stare at the corpses spread throughout the clearing. At first they thought that a great battle had been fought here, but became confused upon discovering that all of the bodies were wearing rebel uniforms—all except for two. One they immediately recognized as Tao Ren, son of En and heir to the mighty Tao clan. The other, a lean blue-haired man, they had never seen before.

Phone calls were made, records were written, and before long the burials began.

* * *

EPILOGUE

The two figures slowly made their way up the grassy hill, one pushing the wheelchair, the other sitting in it. The sun was bright and the breeze was soft; it was a beautiful day.

It took them a few minutes before they finally arrived at their destination. Usui Pilika smiled softly as she looked up at the blue above them. "It sure is peaceful today," she whispered. Her blue hair had long since began to gray in the twenty years that had passed since the fateful Chinese civil war, and her voice was tired.

Sitting in the wheelchair beside her, Tao Jun nodded slowly. "When we were little, I used to take Ren out on picnics on days like this." She had not been able to walk for the last twenty years, ever since her father while he had still been in power had found out what she had done for her brother and had brutally punished her for rebelling against him.

Pilika laughed. "Oniichan did the same thing." She tucked a lock of blue-gray hair behind one ear, looking down at the two tombstones before them. "I was actually hoping he would take me on another one once he got back."

"Hm." Silence settled between the two women as they simply looked at the two gravestones. They had both memorized the etchings on each one.

_Here lies Usui Horokeu…Here lies Tao Ren…_

Finally, Jun spoke. "I think Ren would have liked to see my father dethroned," she whispered.

"Hm," Pilika said. "But he wouldn't have been too happy to know that you ended up losing the war."

"It wasn't that bad," Jun answered. "He would have liked the terms of the peace treaty. At least we didn't end up losing too much land, and all the remaining Taos were spared."

"Yes." Pilika sighed. "Do you ever wonder if they come to visit us?"

"Who?"

"Ren and Oniichan. Their spirits, I mean."

Jun shrugged. "Who knows?"

Pilika smiled bitterly. "I think Oniichan's probably avoiding me," she said softly. "He promised that he'd come back, and he didn't. I'll bet he's afraid I'm going to beat him up about it."

"Which you probably will," Jun said, and both women laughed.

The breeze blew in, stronger this time, and both Jun and Pilika relaxed in its cool touch. Finally, Jun opened her eyes and turned to her Ainu companion. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hm? Oh." Pilika stepped forward, setting the small bouquet of roses carefully against her brother's tombstone. "Shouldn't you bring one for Ren?" she asked, turning to Jun.

The daoshi slowly shook her head. "He wouldn't want one," she said softly, before turning to face Pilika. "Would you mind taking me back now?" she asked. "It's almost time for lunch, and I'm sure you're hungry."

Pilika smiled. "Of course." She stepped behind Jun, and slowly the two women began their journey down the hill, leaving the two tombstones standing in the grass, paying silent tribute to two heroes, two friends, two lovers. And far away, in a land where the sky glowed and all was golden and beautiful, two people smiled and slowly walked away, hand-in-hand toward the endless light.

**FINI**

**Parting words: **Yes, folks, that ends it. Please don't hurt me for the angsty ending, but I was also trying to convey a sense of triumph with the epilogue; after all, though Ren and Horo didn't physically survive the war, they remained together. Once again, thank you all so much for reading and/or reviewing. My endless love to all of you.


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